


Hard to Control Myself

by msbutterfingers



Category: Powerpuff Girls
Genre: Canon Compliant, Clubbing, Drama, F/M, Heartbreak, High School, Humor, Post-Canon, Romance, Science Fiction, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-06-03 08:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 123,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6604249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msbutterfingers/pseuds/msbutterfingers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are old enough, they go to a teen club. At first it's exciting and fun, but they soon find that there are some unexpected guests. Upon contact with these guests, what will life be like for these heroines?</p><p>Rated for heavy language in later chapters, as well as mild sensual content and references to suicide.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Excelsior!

**Author's Note:**

> Finally got this one up over on this account. This story was completed 8 years ago, and was originally posted at FF.net under my account with this same username. (I've never posted it on Wattpad, though. That was posted without my permission.) Some of the writing is still pretty old, but some of it has held up okay. Still revising each chapter before I post it here so that it's not terrible. (Hah.)
> 
> My attempt at a fun, dramatic, but somewhat still realistic take on what it might take for heroines and villains to end up together, and how the road to love is never as smooth as it seems. Mostly canon/canon-compliant. The first few chapters are intentionally kooky, but it gets more serious and angsty as the story goes on. Enjoy!

**Chapter One**

My sisters and I stepped through the doorway, and we gasped in unison.

Somehow, my sisters -Bubbles and Buttercup- convinced me to go to that filthy prison that they called fun.

Ever since we were five, my sisters and I have always loved dancing, and couldn't wait until we were older so we could go out at night. Even Bubbles did, even though she was a bit afraid of the dark (more like a lot, but that's not the point.). We just recently turned 16, and we were finally allowed to go out at night, other than crime fighting, that is. I guess since that place was the only place we could go, well, there we were. It was called Electric Blue, and it was a teen club for teens ages fifteen to nineteen. The night was our first night out in Townsville, and the first time we saw Electric Blue on the inside. We had flown past it many times, but we had never been inside.

'Now,' I dubiously admitted to myself, 'Even though I'm still kind of suspicious of this place, I'm actually kind of excited.' I never told Buttercup or Bubbles this, but I really loved dancing.

Other than playing Guitar and brushing up on my German and Dutch, it was one of my favorite things to do. I tried to keep it to myself mostly, because people usually say, 'Dancing? But you're the smart one!' and it got pretty annoying. I didn't know why I love it, I just did. I couldn't explain it. When I heard the music pulsating, the beat pulsing in my veins, it took over my body and nobody was around me. I got absolutely lost in it.

Even though I didn't even want to be there, it actually seemed pretty cool.

Strobe lights were flashing, glow sticks could be seen everywhere, and the dance floor was huge. In fact, it was filled with teens already dancing. There was a soda bar on the East wall, while there were tables and chairs near the West wall.

In front of me, Bubbles squealed almost uncontrollably, clapping her hands together excitedly, and Buttercup just stood still, arms folded, her eyes roaming the one story building with a wide, satisfied smirk. As if there had been some silence signal that went off, both of my sisters took off in different directions; Buttercup heading to the bar, and Bubbles to the dance floor. I smiled silently at their departing figures. Earlier, we had all taken quite some time picking out our outfits...well, Bubbles and I anyway.

Bubbles had on a blue lace, strapless, mini dress with a wide, black ribbon across her ribs. She paired it with shimmering, white pumps and pearls. The long pearl necklace she had on was wrapped around her neck a few times in elegant layers, and the rest hung to her stomach. She had her usual pigtails, but she had let her hair grow out quite long over the years, and their length was down to her elbows. Also, for that night, she curled the ends of the pigtails into ringlets. As for makeup, she had on sparkling black mascara, slick, frosted white eyeshadow and clear lip gloss. She looked stunning, and I knew the guys would be all over her in a second.

Buttercup (who was already at the bar, chugging Coke quite un-femininely) had on a black and apple green lace corset with ripped and frayed black tights and a plaid pale green miniskirt over it. A few chains hung from the miniskirt, and she had black Chuck Taylor High tops on. She also had on stretchy black arm warmers with holes in them. For her hair, it was still short, choppy and a little bit past her chin, but for tonight she slicked it partway up with a big pouf in the front to make it look almost like a half pony-hawk. She had silver dangle skull earrings in her ears and, on her eyes, heavy black eye makeup, complete with extra black mascara, extra black eyeshadow, and extra black liquid eyeliner that made her intense green eyes smolder. As rebellious as she looks, she has a gooey inside, like an ice cream sandwich, she's just kind of rough around the edges. She hates to talk about her gooey side though, so she scarcely has.

For a moment, I almost followed Bubbles onto the dance floor, but I caught myself. ' _Easy, Blossom. The last thing you want to do is reveal your secret from your sisters here!_ ' My conscience said. ' _That could be troublesome._ ' I sighed and decided the place for me right then was those tables and chairs.

As I made my way to that side of the building, the people around me that stood talking to their friends stopped their conversations abruptly. I felt everyone's eyes on me, watching my every move, looking me up and down. Even though music was blaring through the speakers, it felt as if the silence from them was deafening.

I wondered, 'Why is everyone staring? Do I stand out too much?' Of course, I knew I was a superhuman teenager made out of Chemical X to save Townsville every day, but did they really have to stare? It was unnerving. 'Is it what I'm wearing?'

I was wearing a fitted, pink lace (yes, we had planned the whole lace thing.) spaghetti string camisole with a white jean, slightly faded, mini skirt. I also wore the white leather knee - high stiletto heeled boots Bubbles made me wear (I had no choice; it was either that or the combat boots Buttercup chose.). I wore a pink choker necklace around my neck, and I had a pink ribbon in my hair instead of my usual red one. My hair was in a half ponytail, and I had used a moderation of black mascara with shimmery magenta lip gloss. Personally, I thought my outfit was fine, unless they really didn't like pink.

I ignored the stares and finally found an empty table and sat down. Curiosity finally got to me, so I dug a compact mirror from my pink leather bag and checked myself. Nothing in my teeth, Nothing on my face. I shut my eyes in frustration, feeling the stress line on my forehead appear. I then closed my compact.

'Oh well,' I thought opening my eyes again, shaking off my annoyance. My eyes scanned the room carefully again, this was something I had learned in battles. A song with a fast tempo was on, and the other teens on the dance floor were quite fast-moving as well. I suddenly spotted Princess, a childhood acquaintance (I wouldn't call her a friend. Ever.) of ours, capturing another one of her boy toys in her claws of death. By the expression on the poor guys' face, you'd think he was going to go meet his maker.

Princess had always been extremely spoiled, thus her name. Her spiral curled (probably permed) fire-engine red hair had always been, as a child, in two afro-puffs on either side of her head, with a tiara in the middle. Now that she had decided to straighten her hair again, it was long, and it fell to her waist. It sounded beautiful, sure, but she over-processed it, and each strand looked ragged and worn. Even so, she kept her trademark tiara. She was wearing her usual purple ensemble, but tonight it was a very low cut V-neck tank top, a gold choker necklace, and a purple metallic micro-mini skirt that was so short, it could be worn as a belt.

The teen-queen led him into some sort of dirty dance that left me cringing and shaking my head. I suddenly decided to turn my attention somewhere else when he turned a vibrant tomato red all the way up to his scalp.

I found my green eyed sister, and as I watched her ward off jocks flirting madly with her, my vision was blocked. It took me another moment to realize there was someone standing in front of me. I looked up at the face of the mystery person and my eyes involuntarily widened. Two nervous-looking brown haired boys -maybe twins- stood in front of me. Both had a deep side part and gel was unsuccessfully smoothing their tresses down. They both had pocket protectors, thick glasses and autograph books. They were also both breathing heavily and were wide eyed as well.

I attempted to break the silence. "Uh-" but I was interrupted immediately by one of the boys whipping out an industrial sized inhaler. He squeezed the top and inhaled in raggedly. The other boy turned slowly to face his companion, then glared at him.

"William," he said in an annoyed tone. William shrugged slightly. The other sighed a heavy sigh and turned back to me.

"Greetings," he chirped, suddenly cheerful. "I'm Gregory and this is my brother William." He paused, pointing to William, whom smiled again nervously. "We are very big fans of yours and are fascinated by your interest in science, technology, and worldly affairs." Gregory looked nervous as well, because when he smiled his eye twitched slightly.

"May we have your autograph please?" William blurted out manically.

Gregory turned to him once again. His tone was almost comically impatient. "William."

"What? You weren't getting to the point!" William defended in a juvenile manner, and I started to wonder if they were even old enough to be here.

"I told you before, and I'll tell you again: Make her happy, and then the autographs, then we get the sexy female life form!"

'Whoa, life form..?' I thought, staring at them incredulously. These guys were too creepy. 'And, sexy? What the hell?'

"But that takes too long!" whined William.

"Well, according to my studies, it works everyti-"

"Sure!" I blurted out, interrupting their little brawl. They both froze in place at the sound of my voice. "You can have my autograph." They both turned to me, excitement slowly growing on their faces. Uh oh.

"Excelsior!" Gregory and William cried in unison, their voices breaking in the same spot. Everybody turned to look in our direction, mostly at me. Again.

I swiftly grabbed William's autograph book before they could have another outburst, and before I could write anything, he said suddenly, "Please put yours next to Luke Skywalkers'." I blinked at him for a moment. Was this a prank? I signed my name where he wanted me to, then signed Gregory's book in the same place, then picked up my purse.

"Excuse me," I said politely with a pleasant smile on my face, then I got up to leave while they continued their fight.

'I have to get out of here!' I thought, walking quickly away from that accursed table. 'Where are Bubbles and Buttercup?'

#

I carefully made my way towards Buttercup, who had finally started a conversation with some biker. As I observed, I noticed she was even flirting with him. I didn't want to interrupt, especially since she brushes most guys off, but this was important. As I inched closer to her, she felt my presence and turned around slowly. She sighed exasperatedly.

"What, Blossom? Can't you see I'm busy?" she said impatiently. The biker guy that she had been talking to scoffed.

"Blossom…? Wait, are you one of those Powder puff Gals?" he asked Buttercup with his arms folded. The movement made his sunglasses slip ever so slightly. Why was he wearing sunglasses inside the building in the first place? What a tool.

'What gave you the first clue?' I though, and I rolled my eyes. Oh, how I disliked clueless men.

He scoffed again, not waiting for our answer. "Forget it. I'm out of here." And with that, he walked away, his shoulders squared all macho.

Buttercup turned back to me, her lips pursed together tightly.

"Are you happy now?" She glared at me. "What's the freakin' deal?"

I cringed. "I'm sorry Buttercup, its just that those weird guys were flirting with me," I pointed back at Gregory and William, whom currently had freakish-stalker like expressions on their faces. "And they are really starting to freak me out! They've been following me everywhere...and everyone was staring at me, and I kind wanna lea-" I got interrupted by Buttercup's hand forced over my mouth.

"Blossom," she said calmly. "Calm the hell down."

"But-" I mumbled under her hand, but failed. She shook her head.

"Look, Bloss, of _course_ they're going to look," she stated simply. At this, she raised her eyebrows at me. "We're _superheroes_."

"I know, but-" I started again, which received a dull warning glare from her.

"Also, welcome to the club," she roughly jabbed a finger over her shoulder to the hopeful looking group of guys she had turned down earlier. She whirled around to face them. "Get lost!" She shouted. The death glare on her face was ferocious. They scampered away like a group of scolded puppies, complete with whimpering. She turned back to me. "See what I've had to deal with?" she stated, raising her eyebrows. "But I just ignore it. It's no big deal. We're not leaving yet, we just got here!"

I sighed. She was right, I wasn't really giving it a chance.

"Okay," I replied with a smile. "Thanks."

She smiled back and patted my shoulder. "Not a problem. Hey, I'm heading to the dance floor." she waved and called, "Catch you later!" over her shoulder, then set off to the dance floor, hips swiveling and arms flailing the whole way. I smiled again and sat down on one of the bar stools.

Buttercup was right, I just had to relax. This was not a big deal. Teenagers came here all the time, this was totally normal. As I said this to myself mentally, I felt my shoulder muscles relax gradually. There we go. There was nothing to worry about. And honestly, what was the _worst_ that could happen at a teen club?

Tonight would be _cake_.

"I'll have a Berries and Cream Dr. Pepper, please." I said to the nice-looking boy behind the counter. He slid a glass full of the bubbly beverage across the marble counter, and I caught it, taking a thorough sip.

I spun around on the bar stool and squinted my eyes in search of my blonde sister. I finally found her a few moments later, and she was directly under the disco ball, her body exactly matching the pulsating beat. She seemed to be having a blast. I wished I could join her, but I knew I had to keep my secret. This was something I actually had to myself, and revealing it right there would not have been...good. I could see the dramatic moment playing out in my head already:

' _Blossom, how come you never told us this?!' Bubbles would ask in her slight valley girl-like voice, although it was still slightly squeaky, even after maturing over the years._

' _Yeah, I can't believe you! I thought we were family!' Buttercup would bellow in her ear piercing shout._

' _What ever happened to telling us everything, Blossom?' Bubbles would ask again. Betrayed tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She would turn away from me in shame._

' _Yeah, Blossom!' Buttercup would chime in again, her forehead furrowed deeply._

' _And what about me, your wonderful and loving father?' Professor would exclaim accusingly, and where he would come from suddenly, I had no clue. Professor would shake his head in unison with Bubbles and Buttercup, and then they would all hang their heads in disappointment._

Just as I was getting to the part where they would sign the disowning papers, I woke up to reality, realizing that someone was standing in front of me… _again._

Just as I thought it was the stalker twins once more, I looked up and was pleasantly surprised.


	2. Unwanted Guests Arrive

**Chapter Two**

Inwardly, I sighed in relief. This time, it was just one person, and they were dressed pretty nice (so obviously it wasn't the twins). I looked up at their face to find them smiling at me.

'Whoa! This is much better.' I thought, and I also threw in a reminder to breathe. An extremely good-looking boy now stood in front of me. His short, chocolate brown hair complemented his light tan skin, and his clear blue eyes looked stunning, even with neon lights flashing everywhere. He also had extremely white teeth, which he was flashing at me at the moment.

"Blossom, right?" he asked, holding out his hand in a friendly way.

I nodded dumbly, amazed that a guy this good looking was talking to me (which was _so_ unlike me, but what can I say? Hot guys are my weakness.) and shook his hand.

"I'm Richard, but you can call me Richie." he replied, flashing me one of those incredible smiles again.

I felt my cheeks flush as I returned his smile. I thought to myself, 'This place just got _ten_ times better…'

#

We both sat down at a table together. Once I really warmed up to him, Richie and I talked for quite a while, and we had gotten to know each other a little more.

He played football at his private high school, but his favorite subject was Science. What I was really impressed with was that he got his school's honor roll every semester, and his IQ was 125. Yeah, extremely impressive. And not only was he smart, but he had great looks! I had just began thinking I had found my soul mate, when suddenly, I saw Buttercup and Bubbles rushing over to me.

"Just a moment, Richie," I said apologetically, giving him a small smile. He shrugged and smiled another amazing smile. I stood up from my chair, turned to Buttercup and Bubbles and they led me to a more private place where we could talk. As soon as we got there I gave them an annoyed scowl.

"This had _better_ be good, you guys." I told them sternly. I watched their faces, Bubbles eyes were extremely wide with anxiety, and Buttercup had a concerned frown on her face.

"You're not going to believe this!" Bubbles cried, and the panic in her tone made it even more evident to me that she was panicking.

"Yeah, look over there!" Buttercup finished, pointing over towards the entrance. Her tone wasn't as panicky, it was more agitated. It was hard to see over people's heads, it was so crowded. I stepped a little over to the right, then to the left, and squinted my eyes to see through all the commotion. There was a crowd of people in one particular spot, but nothing really out of the ordinary.

I looked back at them, raised my eyebrows and shrugged.

"I don't see anything," I replied simply. At this, they both sighed impatiently.

"Well, _look again!_ " They shouted this in unison, and a few people that were nearby turned to look at them. I started at their sudden outburst, but then obediently turned to face the entrance again. I focused on the entrance. Finally, some of the people who were crowding the area shifted, revealing the center of attention. Their backs were to me, and all I could make out was a blonde haired boy, a boy with dark hair and a redheaded boy. I recognized that hair anywhere. My jaw dropped.

"…The Rowdyruff Boys?!" I exclaimed, looking at my sisters again. They nodded solemnly. I groaned out loud. "No! But… _why?_ When did they get here?" I tripped over my words, and I double-checked back at the entrance to make sure that I saw what I saw. Sure enough, they were still standing there, chatting it up with whoever was in front of them.

"They just got here," Bubbles replied, nervously tugging on the ends of her pigtails.

"Yup. And, who knows why they're here? Most likely to cause trouble. And who knows how _much_ trouble?" Buttercup said, folding her arms. She pursed her lips together tightly before speaking up again. "But they haven't noticed us yet, so maybe if we stay low...they'll leave us alone."

Bubbles and I looked at her with shocked expressions, but we both knew she had been looking forward to this since we were little, and she wasn't about to give this night up to fight those idiots. Besides, we weren't dressed to fight right now anyway.

Ever since the Rowdyruff Boys had first come back after we destroyed them a long time ago, they had been giving us all sorts of trouble. They had even gotten ten times more dangerous. With age, they'd become stronger, more powerful. But for all their chaotic potential, they sure didn't utilize it as much as they could've. Usually, if Mojo wasn't giving them some sort of order, they would lie low. However, lately, they had been causing little crimes all across town, right as we're doing something important. Just for the sake of ticking us off. It was really working, and we were already sick of them in the first place.

I sighed. "Fine. But," I paused, my face growing serious again, "If _any_ of them try to hurt anyone innocent here, we're going to step in. No exceptions."

My sisters nodded in agreement, and we all carefully set off to go back to what we were doing before. I made my way back to the table Richie was sitting at before, but as I neared, I didn't see anyone sitting there. I glanced around at the other available tables, but I didn't see him there either.

"Richie...?" I called. I looked around for him, continuing my search, but when I finally found him, I felt my heart sink.

He was holding some other girl against the wall intimately, and they were kissing passionately. They were so busy, they didn't even notice my presence.

I sighed, feeling not only insulted, but also slightly disappointed. 'Well, it wasn't like we were dating or anything. It's not even like he had asked me out.' I thought. Oh well, so much for a great night.

Deciding to go back to the table I was at before (after making sure Gregory and William were nowhere to be seen), I sat down once again, resting my chin in my hands. I stayed there for a while, observing the crowd, when I noticed that the Rowdyruff boys were slowly making their way over to where I was. They didn't see me, but they were nearing dangerously close.

'Uh oh,' I thought, yanking up my purse. I jumped up from the table, and I looked at my options. Either go onto the dance floor and risk revealing my secret, or go to the soda bar where Bubbles currently was. Deciding that walking there would take too long, I flew over to the soda bar.

#

Bubbles and I hung out together at the bar, talking animatedly about some girls at our school, while Bubbles sipped on her vanilla milkshake. I had finished up another Dr. Pepper, and now we were laughing hard about something Bubbles had said.

When we finally calmed down, Bubbles spoke up. "My stomach hurts," She said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Mine does too," I chuckled a little bit more, and then remembering that me stomach muscles were sore, I stopped abruptly. After a brief pause, I spoke up again in a hushed tone.

"So, have they noticed you yet?" I began to absentmindedly run my fingers through my hair. Bubbles half-shrugged.

"Almost…" she trailed off, and she bit the end of her straw. I nodded for her to continue. "Well, Boomer kind of glanced at me, but I don't think he recognized me."

I nodded again. It was probably because of all the makeup, she had never worn that much before. "Well that's good, that he didn't recognize you I mean." I replied. Then I paused as I realized something. "Hey, where's Buttercup?"

Bubbles swiveled her chair around, searching for her, then faced me again. "I don't know. She's probably dancing again." She smiled at me reassuringly. I smiled back reluctantly. Bubbles noticed this and her smile faded into worry. "Let's go find her," She said, getting up from her seat. I nodded in agreement and stood up with her. I fiddled intently with my tangled purse straps as my feet shuffled forward, and in my distraction, I bumped into the back of someone.

Someone very tall, I might add, which explains why I fell hard on my butt.

Bubbles helped me up as I rubbed my sore butt. "Sorry about that," I mumbled to the persons' back, looking straight down to my feet. How embarrassing. The person turned around, and Bubbles gasped suddenly. I looked at Bubbles, cocking an eyebrow. What was her problem? Then, when I glanced up at the stranger I bumped into, I saw a shock of long red hair. I gasped also and backed up a few steps.

I was staring at…you guessed it…Brick Jojo. Directly in the face. I was face-to-face with the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys.

Brick was dressed in his usual casual type of garb--red shirt, jeans and red beanie. It was almost like he didn't even know where he'd be going when he'd gotten dressed this evening. He looked me up and down with that stupid smug look on his face. "Well, look who it is! Hey, honey. Can't stay away from me, can you?" A toothpick hung from his lip as he talked. He sauntered closer to me, closing the remaining space between us. As always, his shoulders rolled arrogantly as he walked.

I snorted as if his sudden appearance hadn't affected me at all, rolled my eyes, and shoved past him with Bubbles clinging to my arm. "Let's get out of here," I said to my sister, glaring at him as we passed. We walked quickly away.

Far behind us, I heard his voice again. "Hey Pinky, where you going?"

"Now we definitely have to find Buttercup!" Bubbles said under her breath anxiously. I nodded, and we started walking faster so we'd lose him in the crowd.

#

"…What?!" Buttercup thundered, throwing her hands up in the air. She let them fall to her sides with an exasperated sigh. She scratched the side of her head, frustrated. "Great. I guess we'll need a plan B, then."

"We always end up needing one," Bubbles added, chuckling a bit.

I smiled sheepishly at her. "No kidding," I replied. My smiled dropped, becoming becoming serious once again, and I said, "I say we avoid them the best we can, and if they are persistent, use force by any means necessary." My eyebrows rose. "If you need to use force with them, make sure there are no civilians too close to you. We don't want to hurt anyone."

Bubbles and Buttercup nodded in agreement, and we all split up again, promising we would contact each other by text or call if anything else happened.

Deciding that there was nothing left to do, I started to walk towards my lone table once again. Just when I was about halfway there, I felt my phone vibrating on my hip. 'Something already?' I thought. I grasped my pink phone and answered it. "What's wrong?" I said immediately into the phone.

On the other end I heard Bubbles' desperate voice. "Blossom!" she exclaimed, breathing heavily, like she had just run somewhere. Running was no problem for us though, so obviously she was anxious about something. "Middle of the dance floor, under the disco ball. Look, now!"

I whirled around to look over towards area she was talking about, and started, almost dropping my phone to the hard linoleum floor. The Rowdyruff boys had very serious and sullen expressions on their faces, floating just under the disco ball. Their eyes scanned the whole building carefully and critically, as if they were looking for something.

"What are they doing?" My voice was just above a whisper.

"I overheard them, and I think they're looking for _us!_ "

I gasped as they started to look my way. "Oh, crap!" I exclaimed, quickly looking for something to duck behind. "Got to go." I told Bubbles and hung up before she could say anything. I looked around desperately, and decided the closest thing was a nearby table. I dove under it, and after a few moments, I peeked over the top. It wasn't until then that I realized a couple was sitting there. They stared down at me like I had grown a third eye.

"Haha...so...how's your evening going?" I said to them quite uneasily, you could cut the awkwardness with a knife. I scratched the back of my head. They still continued to scowl at me as they walked away. "Sorry about that!" I called after them, and when I realized I had shouted much too loud, I ducked under the table again. As soon as I did, I shook my head.

'What the hell am I doing?' I thought. 'I am a Powerpuff girl. A super heroine! Super heroines do _not_ run and hide from their enemies. Especially not someone as idiotic and pathetic as the Rowdyruff Boys! So what if they're our arch rivals?' I mentally kicked myself for hiding in the first place, crawled out from underneath the table, and stood up.

'I'm not going to hide anymore!' I pulled up my bra strap that had fallen down, tugged on the bottom of my camisole and smoothed my skirt. For some reason, suddenly I got the skin crawling feeling of someone watching me. I glanced around to see if somebody really was, or if I was just being paranoid.

Then I spotted Brick, still in his position under the disco ball. His blood red eyes were bearing into my pink ones as evenly as if he had been standing right in front of me. The intimate feeling of locking eyes with him threw me off, but something else seemed strange to me. He wasn't frowning or anything. He was just openly staring, unashamed.

It felt odd. I snapped out of the strange gaze, frowning warily and turning away, not caring if he kept staring. I was more concerned about if his brothers had spotted my sisters as well. 'I should go see if they're okay.' I thought.

I paced quickly towards the bar, ducking behind as many tall people as I could. When I made it to the bar, I spun around to look back at the disco ball again.

The space underneath was empty. The brothers were all gone.

'What…but, _how_? They were just there! Where...?' I wondered, backing away from the bar. I stared at the disco ball, making sure my eyes weren't trying to fool me. After a few steps, I bumped into someone behind me.

I turned around, but I didn't tear my eyes from the disco ball in case they reappeared. I began to apologize. "Oh! Sorry about tha--" My words faded into a startled scream when my eyes turned forward to find the owner of those intense red eyes standing yet again right in front of me.


	3. Busted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains mild sexual content and mild teenage boy perviness.

**Chapter Three**

I stared him down, completely rigid. I waited for his reaction, anticipating punches if necessary. At first, he stared back at me with a strange expression I couldn't read. I watched his eyes in curiosity, but his expression left quickly and a smart-ass smirk appeared in its place. My curious expression turned to a glare.

"And _what_ are you staring at?" I demanded, and a made my voice as demeaning as I could make it sound. He shrunk back, not in fear, but in defense. His smirk went crooked.

"Hey to you too," Brick said. His voice had a playful lilt to it. "You look thirsty. Want to get a drink?"

I blinked numerous times, and my sneer faded off my face. I tried to fathom what he had said, processing his words in my mind over and over. What in the world did he just say to me? I honestly couldn't believe it, and for a moment I thought I imagined it. But then again, why would I imagine that in the first place? "I…uh…" My voice trailed off, my throat clogged with shock and bewilderment.

'He is _so_ up to something.' I thought. 'I won't fall for whatever his ruse may be.'

"Um…okay." My mouth opened, and I heard those words come out, but I didn't know why I said it.

' _Wait, what? What are you doing? It's obviously a trap, Blossom, what the hell are you thinking?_ ' My conscience screamed at me.

I knew my conscience was right. Of course it was right. My entire mind agreed with my conscience, with a fiery passion, it agreed.

But my eyes drank in the angular features of his face, his gleaming, red hair, and his lips, twisted into a friendly smile. Friendly, not sinister. He stretched out a masculine, large hand toward me, taking my hand in his. The moment our skin touched, a foggy haze took over my brain, separating my conscience and rational thoughts from my command center.

For some reason, my body wouldn't listen. My mind and body were always connected, that was never a problem for me. So, why was it suddenly a problem, now?

He tugged on my hand lightly and led me to the bar. I stared down at my hand in his, limp and frozen as if it couldn't believe what was happening either.

Someone on my left jostled me. For a moment, the haze between my brain and my body faltered. 'Um, _no._ ' My mind was raging. I snatched my hand harshly away from Brick's grasp, my teeth clenched. This startled him, and he glanced over his shoulder, his eyebrows raised.

"I can walk myself there, thank you." I sneered again, and I tossed my hair over my shoulder.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay then," he replied, and continued walking towards the bar.

I stared at his retreating back in disbelief. No insult, no returning glare...who was this? What the hell was going on?

He sat down on one of the bar stools. I continued to watch him. Not that sitting down was a strange thing to do, but watching him...a Rowdyruff Boy...being so laid back and so non-threatening was just too strange. I hesitantly sat next to him, rubbing my forearms awkwardly.

I looked away from him for a moment. What could he be planning? I racked my brain for ideas, but after an entire two minutes of thinking, I only had a few ideas. They were too predictable, though, and the Rowdyruff Boys weren't always predictable.

Of course, when they were younger, they were predictable. They mostly stole things from the candy store, the bank, or the toy store. Now, every once in a while, they would steal from the electronics store, but the owner or cashier wouldn't notice until it was too late for us to do anything. They also robbed other small places to, like I said earlier, get on our nerves.

More recently, they did things planned by Mojo or Him, or the combination of them both. Maybe this was one of their schemes. Yeah, that would explain why I couldn't figure it out. Or maybe, it was someone new altogether.

I felt the line between my eyebrows appear. What could they be up to?

I suddenly remembered I wasn't alone. With a jolt, I glanced over at him, only to find him staring at me for the third time that night. All of that staring was beginning to creep me out. What was his problem? I watched him back, and he didn't seem to notice. This time, he didn't stare into my eyes. His intense red gaze washed over my body, and he looked like he was deep in thought. Either that, or he just plain stared shamelessly. I rolled my eyes. Pig.

I folded my arms over my bust, clearing my throat loudly and deliberately. His eyes snapped to mine again, and he broke the awkward silence.

"So, are you gonna order or what?" His voice went back to the rude tone it'd had earlier that evening, and his face went back to that smart-ass expression. I rested my elbows on the bar table, turning away from him in disdain. Hearing that tone seep back to the surface hadn't surprised me at all. It was to be expected. I knew he would have screwed up this plan, it wouldn't have been the first time. He always let his anger get in the way in battles, and this wouldn't be any different.

"Yeah," I replied smugly. The look on my face hadn't fazed him, because he just nodded and glanced at the boy behind the counter. My smirk faded again.

"Dr. Pepper," Brick told him, and the boy nodded once in response. I raised my eyebrows at this revelation.

What were the odds of us both ordering the same soda? I shrugged the thought away, shaking my head. The odds were relatively high actually, they didn't have that many choices of soda there. Just a stupid coincidence. The bartender looked at me. I opened my mouth to say what I wanted, but the bartender said it for me.

"Berries and Cream Dr. Pepper?" He said this with a bright smile, his green eyes crinkled at the edges.

I couldn't help but smile back at his charm. At least he was the second good looking guy to flirt with me that night. It made up for the twins earlier. "Yes, thank you." I said politely, fiddling with a piece of hair that found its way over my shoulder again. I felt Brick watching us, but I didn't give a crap.

"Not problem," he lean on the other side of the counter. "Let me know if you need anything else." And with a quick wink, he turned to get our drinks. I glanced over at Brick, and he was turned around on his bar stool. From what I would see of his face, he seemed to be scowling. I decided that this was my chance. I yanked out my cell phone to send a text message to Bubbles and Buttercup.

I had started to type the words: 'You _guys, I got caught with Brick! He totally found me! Are you guys-'_ when suddenly I got interrupted by you-know-who's voice.

"What are you doing?"

I peeked up from my message and saw Brick looking at me curiously. However, in my current overly paranoid, i-just-got-caught-stealing-cookies-from-the-cookie-jar mind, it seemed like an accusatory glance.

'Crap!' I thought. 'If I tell him about my text, he'll read over my shoulder, and then he'll probably-' I cut off the flow of my own thoughts as they took a ridiculous, even more paranoid turn.

"Just, uh, playing a game." I said, and I quickly snapped my phone shut. Just as I did, the bartender slid our drinks across the smooth counter to us. The liquid inside of them sloshed dangerously close to the edge of the glass.

Brick eyed the bartender, in a way that seemed friendly at first, then as I read deeper into his expression, it turned somewhat hostile. "Thanks, dude." Brick said in a low voice, and took a huge gulp of his soda. The bartender looked at Brick, then me, and backed away slowly.

I was too busy being completely shocked to particularly care that Brick had scared off my latest admirer. Had he just _thanked_ someone? It was a hesitant thank you, and maybe somewhat vaguely threatening, but appreciation none the less. Did my ears deceive me? Soon, my amazement melted to suspicion again.

I was seething with suspicion now. Just what kind of plot was this? I went over the mismatched pieces of the puzzle. First, this plan included asking me if I wanted a drink. Second, this plan also included being nice to normal people that _he_ shouldn't even care about. Third, this plan included...coming to a teen club?

It didn't make sense at all.

I stared Brick down again, my eyebrows furrowed even more. I was going to get him to let go of this stupid ruse, to confess to it.

He felt the intensity of my gaze and faced me. He started as he got an eyeful of my expression. "What?" He'd asked this innocently. Bull.

I said nothing and kept my eyebrows angled downward sharply. I _was_ going to make him give this up. Why hadn't he cracked already?

He sighed and set his glass down with more force than necessary, and it made a loud clank. "Look, Blossom, you don't need to be suspicious or anything."

I looked at him like had grown a second nose. I chose to ignore the fact that he'd used my real name, which he rarely did. "And why not?" I didn't even feel the need to _ask_ the question, but I did anyway.

He seemed exasperated at this question, and I suddenly felt stupid to ask it, as if I had asked him what the color of the sky was. "My brothers and I came here to have fun. That's it, okay?"

Suddenly, I was angry. "Do you think I'm some kind of _idiot_?" I stood from my seat as I shouted this, and he was taken aback.

"What do you mean?" His eyes were wide. It made me angrier.

"Oh, you know what the hell I mean. Just stop it, okay?" I grit my teeth together. "Do you seriously think I would fall for that?" I was no idiot. He had the _audacity_ to think I could fall for some sort of dim-witted, completely childish plan to take us down? I was completely appalled.

"Whoa, whoa," He stood as well, defensive. "Chill out. I swear, this isn't some destroy-the-Powerpuff-girls plan. If it was, it would be an amazingly pathetic one." He raised his eyebrows. "I know you wouldn't have fallen for that anyway, you're too intelligent."

My eyebrows rose. I froze. He had left me taken aback once again. Had he just complimented me? And, more importantly, he'd read me...as if he read my mind or something along those lines. How? It was weird that he'd so easily followed my line of thinking, but I tried my best to brush it off. I shook my head. I would _not_ give in.

...But, I could _humor_ him. And maybe then I could find out his actual plan later on.

I squinted my eyes at him and folded my arms. "You're not lying?"

Brick nodded earnestly. "So, can we be cool for tonight at least? Put the dukes away and just chill?" He asked me, smiling cheekily.

I smiled back, but not for the reason he thought. I couldn't believe he actually thought I would fall for it so easily. I pretended to reluctantly agree. "As long as you're not lying to me...then, all right. Sure." I lied, tucking a loose lock of red hair behind my ear. With him thinking that my guard was down, it would be easier getting the truth out of him now.

He smiled a wider, satisfied smile, then proceeded to rest a hand on my thigh comfortably. I flushed without warning and slapped his hand away, giving him another glare. He just shrugged, and that stupid smirk appeared again. I folded my arms again, sucking my teeth with my tongue in annoyance.

Sighing inwardly, I thought, 'Well, this should be interesting.'

* * *

**-Buttercup's POV-**

I wandered around the numerous tables, looking for my pink-clad red haired sister. Most were already filled with people, and they watched me back. I ignored them. Even though I thought Blossom had been overreacting earlier, I didn't blame her. People always stared at us when we went out in public, even when we did such things such as grocery shopping or going to school. You'd think we would be used to all the attention by now.

I slowed my pace when I started passing by the deserted tables along the wall. I stopped at one of them, scowling in disgust. There was gum all over the edges, and chunks of the top were scratched up and dented. To say the least, they were gross. 'Damn." I thought, shaking my head.

Abruptly, my thoughts were interrupted when I sensed someone behind me.

The fine hairs on my arms stood up, and I spun around. Before I could see who it the stranger was, my back was thrown against the wall behind me. The disgusting tables didn't stand a chance against the force, and they scattered as if they were papers flying off of a desk.

I looked at my attacker, and two emerald green eyes curtained with black fringe stared back. I would know those green eyes anywhere.

"Let me go, Butch!" I snarled, and I felt my face crumple into a fierce scowl.

He smirked at me mockingly, and the hand that was pressing my shoulder to the wall came up to my chin. He held it harshly, forcing me to look him in the eye. I bared my teeth. "Not a chance, spitfire." His lips stayed curled into a grin. "Besides, I like this position. Don't you?"

With this, he twisted his lower half to brush my hips suggestively. My eyes flew open wider. I instinctively moved my leg to kick him hard in the nuts, but his legs trapped mine securely. This movement made us even closer, uncomfortably closer. I lifted my arms, intending to knot my fingers in his hair and yank his head backward so I could create space between us, but he slammed his other long arm across my torso again, locking my arms back to my sides. My back hit against the wall again with a slam.

"You son of a bitch," I murmured, grinding my teeth together, trembling. My face burned. "You have five seconds to let me go before you're in a world of pain." I swear, I wanted to murder him. Screw the plan, this guy was dead.

Butch watched me for a moment, his expression full of amusement. Then, something flickered across his eyes, and he lowered his face to my temple. His breath was hot, and it smoldered against my skin. I shrunk away, but for some reason I couldn't fathom, his unrelenting proximity seared into me. Part of me felt like running away, but not because I was scared. Buttercup Utonium running away? Ha. It was laughable.

But where did the feeling come from in the first place?

Then, he brushed his lips against my ear. Completely unable to stop them, goosebumps rose on my skin.

"Make me," he breathed out, and his tongue slid across my earlobe.

* * *

**-Bubbles' POV-**

I stood off towards the side of the dance floor, watching the dancers nervously. I tugged on my ponytails.

Where were Blossom and Buttercup? Were they okay? It had been at least twenty minutes, and I hadn't heard from either of them. I had the sinking feeling that something had gone wrong. I wanted to know if my feeling was right, but, what if I found them and endangered them even more? Or, on the way there, what if I got myself in the same situation?

I shook that thought away. So what if I got in trouble? If I could help my sisters, it would be alright if I had to be the sacrifice.

Determined, I pulled out my light blue cell. This way would probably be better for all of us. I carefully began to type my message. _'Where are u guys? Are u-'_

My message remained incomplete, because a stranger behind me wrapped their arms around me.

Their touch was secure but gentle. They rested their chin on top of my head. I snapped my phone shut, and my nerves jangled. I turned to face this newcomer, my breathing unsteady. No. It couldn't be. But of course it was.

Boomer.

I shook my head at him, not comprehending. What was he doing? Why was he...What was going on?

Boomer smiled at my disbelief. At the sight of his smile, my shock grew. "Hey there, princess." His voice was gentle. He brushed loose strands of hair from my face. His touch added another unexpected shock, and reflexively, I slapped his hand away.

I turned my face away from him, willing his presence to go away if I ignored him enough. "What are you _doing?_ " When I said this, I tried to sound menacing. I knew it didn't come out that way at all. It was too shocked, too breathless sounding. I felt my eyes widen with each anxiety-filled breath.

I knew that he was stronger than me. I could take him by myself in normal circumstances, but dressed like I was now? Not a chance. And there were so many innocent people here that could get hurt.

"Are you all right?" I heard him ask.

Jolting with surprise, I faced him again. His eyebrows were drawn together in a worried expression, and he reached his hand to touch me again. I jerked back automatically, then wondered why I had. His expression and stance weren't threatening at all. It didn't look like he was attacking me. I frowned, unsure and confused.

Boomer stayed still for a few moments, cautious, then he put his hand gently on the side of my arm. I let him, but his touch burned. For reasons I didn't quite understand, I felt self conscious. I swallowed hard and looked away from him once again.

When he spoke, his tone was still soft. "Bubbles, please trust me. I know it sounds weird, but tonight I want to get to know you better." He paused, lifting my chin with gentle fingers so I would look at him. "Really."

I hesitantly looked into his eyes. Fear still washed over me. But when I watched unguarded emotions swimming in his azure eyes, something clicked inside of me. I wasn't sure what it was, but suddenly, I was curious. I was uncertain, but very inquisitive. I suddenly wanted to experience those emotions, to know them. It was as if some sort of magnet was switched on, and I was drawn to him.

Experimentally, I leaned into his touch. Something inside of me yelled at me to do otherwise, but I couldn't stop. Instead of his usual cold, venomous touch, this was warm. Inviting.

He smiled at me again. I stared at him. I wasn't used to seeing him actually smile. In fact, I had never seen him smile like that. Ever. It was so...warm. His hands remained touching my arm and chin, and it felt strange...really strange.

But his scent invaded my senses, and for some reason, I couldn't pull away.


	4. New Discoveries

**Chapter Four**

- **Blossom's POV** -

It turned out, getting the truth out of him proved to be harder than I thought.

I played along with his little game of deception, and he ended up starting semi-normal conversation between us. It started out with our siblings, and eased onto the subject of school. At some point, he mentioned that he and his brothers didn't go to school.

This brought genuine astonishment out of me. "You _don't_ go to _school_?"

He smirked at me, but it wasn't exactly smug. "Could you imagine how people would react to us going to an average high school? Least of all Townsville High."

I shrugged. I hadn't really thought of that. It would probably be chaotic. Plus, I'd feel horrible for the kids that had to see them everyday. I pictured him at my high school, sitting among all the regular students in class, and I just couldn't do it. The thought was nearly comical. I asked, shaking my head,"Then, how do you know...things? You don't sound uneducated."

I bit my tongue as soon as I realized I had inadvertently gave him a compliment. I couldn't help it, it was in my nature to be nice and polite to someone I was talking to. I wasn't used to having conversations with villains, because naturally, I would always be too busy kicking their butt to talk to them.

Brick seemed to smother a smile that resulted from my compliment. "I guess we learned all that we know now from the Internet and books. And Him taught us how to read when we were little."

I nodded, pretending to not looked at all disturbed by his last comment. Him _taught_ them? I forced back the shudder that threatened to run up my spine. Well, Him _did_ seem to father them, as did Mojo most of the time. So I supposed that made sense, Him wouldn't want uneducated teenage boys working for him.

Brick noticed my reaction anyway, and he laughed. I snapped my eyes back toward him.

He was _laughing_.

No. Not the maniacal, stereotypical villain, lightning-inducing cackle that I had become accustomed to hearing. This was genuine, humor-filled laughter. It was masculine sounding, but somehow musical. Not at all terrifying. It was...nice. It caught me so off guard, I couldn't look away.

My mind faded into the haze again.

Our conversation moved on to politics, and I found myself actually interested in what he had to say. My conscience screamed at me, but my mind and body weren't connected again. My mind was determined to hold to my plan, determined to catch Brick in his ruse, but my body wouldn't listen.

The result was a strange, foreign rush that I wasn't familiar with. It continued as I listened to his criticism of Mayor.

"Honestly, Mayor's not that bad as a person. It's just that Townsville had much better mayors before, and I think we'd be better off without him, you know? He can kinda be...incompetent." He glanced up at me after a moment of no response, and that was when I realized I had been staring at him. He seemed to realize it too, and the corner of his mouth curved upwards.

I cleared my throat and blinked a few times, hoping to at least clear a little of the haze. An involuntary blush spread across my cheeks from embarrassment, and I cursed inwardly. "I disagree." I paused to clear my throat again when my voice came out foggy. "I think that because of Mayor, our city has moved forward, more so than with the mayors Townsville has had before."

He leaned forward, and his eyes narrowed in playful challenge. "Really?" His smirk grew. "How so?"

I scoffed. " _How so?_ What about the whole drought ordeal of 2002? I believe the Mayor handled that very well. His plan to rid of the drought worked perfectly, and it was gone within a year!"

Brick rolled his eyes, conceding my point. "Yeah, yeah. But the man only does so well because of that assistant of his. She's the one who runs this city, not him. She should run for Mayor next election. What's her name again? Mrs. Bellum?"

" _Ms._ Bellum." I corrected him. "Sara's her first name."

"Ah, that's right." He rubbed the tip of his chin in thought. "She's hot."

The pulse of feelings I felt after he said that was a strange mix of disdain, skepticism, and something else I couldn't pinpoint. It surprised me. I looked at him in contempt. "She's in her early 40's. I seriously doubt she has interest in teenage boys." Not to mention a villain.

He brought one shoulder up and dropped it in a half-shrug. "You never know. Maybe she's a cougar."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Oh, I'm so sure." I swirled the liquid left in my glass with one of the straws the bartender had quickly given to us a while earlier. I watched the liquid twister form in my drink, trying to stifle the strange mix of feelings I had. Where had they come from, anyway? I wasn't even supposed to be actually talking to him, I was supposed to be acting.

When had the acting stopped?

Brick said, "Never say never." Then he added, "Besides, I have a thing for redheads." His tone sounded suggestive, and I glanced up at his face again. He was looking at me too, and all humor was gone from his face. There was a quiet, interesting light in his eyes. Almost like...interest? No. That couldn't be right. I must have misinterpreted it.

What he'd said, however, had caught me off guard again. I froze, both my mind and body numb. How was I supposed to react when he said stuff like that? In the end, thankfully, my mind won. I scoffed again. "Keep dreaming." My voice hadn't held as much venom as I wanted it to, and it came out as a mumble.

He laughed at my words, and my eyes locked on him again, unable to look away.

This was beginning to be a lot harder than I had planned.

* * *

- **Buttercup's POV** -

Before my hazy mind could comprehend it, his tongue slid down to the sensitive part of my neck.

Confusion drowned me, stifling the air in my lungs.

I absolutely loathed him. No question about it, I hated him with all I had. But my heart raced, my temperature rose, and I shook with excitement, and I couldn't stop him no matter how much I wanted to. My body screamed to let him continue.

He paused for a moment, his hot breath washing over my skin, and without warning, his teeth clamped down on the skin on my collarbone. My breathing hitched through my teeth in pain, but I didn't make a noise. God, what was wrong with me? In my mind, I knew I had to stop what was happening. It was wrong. _So_ wrong. _Disgustingly wrong_.

His lips pressed to the skin he had so cruelly bit, and they curled smugly. He chuckled once, and it was saturated in arrogance. This was enough to snap me out of it for a moment, and I was abruptly yanked from my state of passion. I opened my mouth to shout at him, but when I made the move, his tongue slipped out of his mouth again, soothing the wound he made. A gasp came out of my mouth instead, and if I had been in a normal state, I would have cursed aloud for letting it slip. My eyes squeezed shut.

His lips first brushed against the skin in a whisper of a touch, then they sucked roughly and hungrily. One of my hands shoved through his hair, tangling through it. And for an honest, puzzling moment, I thought that maybe I actually didn't want him to stop.

Then, I heard a distant, familiar voice. " _Buttercup!_ "

My eyes snapped open again. They searched for the source of the voice, but after a moment of searching, I didn't find them. I mentally shrugged it off. Maybe it had been my imagination.

Then, I realized I was back again. The fiery haze had left the inside of my head, and with it came sharp clarity of what I had been doing for the past five minutes. My eyes shot downward to Butch, whose hair my fingers were still invading, and he hadn't seemed to hear anything. I gingerly removed my fingers from his hair, grimaced at them, and before he could react, I brought my leg back and swung it directly at his family jewels.

A sharp grunt came from his throat on impact, and he toppled over. He buried his face into the floor, in a fetal position, and the hard surface stifled his strained groans of pain. His voice was muffled when he said, "Okay. All right. I should've expected that."

Damn right he should have. I smiled to myself in satisfaction and bent down to look him in the eye. "What. Are. You doing here?" I asked, keeping my tone low. I kept a fierce glare on my face to distract myself from the immense disgust I felt from remembering what had happened seconds earlier. I hocked a wad of spit from my mouth, propelling it a few feet away from me.

Butch grit his teeth at me at first, then he shook his head. "Gross. Girls aren't supposed to spit."

I rolled my eyes at his inane comment, stood upright and yanked the front of his hoodie, dragging him up with me. "Answer the damn question." I made sure to make my voice sound threatening so there was no way to resist my demand.

He grit his teeth again, wresting the collar of his hoodie away from my hand. "Fine. You're not gonna believe me, though." he said this in a slightly challenging way, and I waited for him to continue impatiently. I tapped my foot. "Okay, okay. We're here cause we want to be here."

I waited for more, my face blank. My foot began tapping again.

"No, seriously!" he paused, his eyes snapping to my foot. Annoyance flashed across his face. "Stop tapping your foot."

"I can do whatever the hell I want with my foot," I countered. "Now really, why are you here?"

He sighed. "I _told_ you that you wouldn't believe me."

I paused, and my foot stopped abruptly. "Wait. So, you're trying to tell me _that's_ actually why you're here? Bullshit."

Butch threw his hands up in exasperation. " _Yes_. It is. Do you really think this is some sort of plan? Mojo wouldn't come up with a plan that stupid." Somehow, I couldn't argue with that. When Mojo actually came up with a 'plan' it was usually only once every few months, but it was almost always unnecessarily complicated. He continued without my response. "And we were _just_ trying to get a break from you brats."

The sudden insult threw me out of my thoughts, and my anger flared without warning. "What was that?" I shot out.

He continued again as if I hadn't said anything. "So we decided to come here tonight. But look what happens." His look of disdain became fiercer, his green eyes piercing. "You follow us here anyway."

My jaw hung open in disbelief. Where did this come from? This dick was trying to pin this all on us. As if we were _stalking_ them. I could feel the anger dangerously bubbling inside me, about to erupt. My hands clenched into fists.

"Excuse you?" I bellowed, and the loud song that was currently playing had no chance against my voice. " _No._ We were here _way_ before you showed up! What the hell are you talking about, dipshit?" My fists were aching to break his nose now, and I swung one at his face.

I let out an enraged growl as it flew through the air, but in one swift motion, he captured my fist in his and wrapped his arm around the small of my back. I went slack jawed, and confusion and bewilderment swept through me again, replacing the rage as he lowered his face closer to mine.

Butch's expression went from hostile to amusement in a second. "Okay, okay. I'll stop. I can't help riling you up sometimes. You know," he paused. His voice was barely a rumbling whisper, and the sound of it sent chills though me. Finally, he continued, "you're so adorable when you're mad."

A strange, intense burning seared from behind my ribcage, spread to my face all the way to my scalp, and my temperature rose again.

What the _hell_ was wrong with me?

* * *

- **Bubbles' POV** -

"Hey, um...where are we going?" I asked Boomer in a soft, careful voice. It had been at least forty minutes, but it still felt so weird to be in such an... _intimate_ setting with him. It almost drove me away, but the strange pulling kept me with him.

He looked back at me and gave me a comforting smile. I returned the smile hesitantly.

"It's alright, trust me." He squeezed my hand, then continued walking up the flight of stairs. I bit my lip and glanced around. I couldn't see much in the narrow hallway, since it was so dark. There was a faint light coming from the top of the stairs, which was still a pretty long way up.

Finally, we reached the top.

"Okay, close your eyes." He lightly put a hand over my eyes, just in case I decided to peek. I didn't object, but in my head I hoped he wasn't smudging the eye makeup I had so carefully applied for tonight. I heard the creak of a door opening and immediately I was greeted by a crisp, cool, late night spring breeze. I gasped silently at the sudden contact.

"Alright…now…open them!" He took his hands off of my eyes, and I gasped again, this time in awe. He had taken me to the rooftop of the building. There was a beautiful full moon that night, and you could see the city lights and stars clearly. Now that I looked closer, stars speckled the sky like the sparkly craft powder I used as a kid. The word beautiful just wouldn't cover it.

I clasped my hands together. "Wow," I managed to spit the word out, breaking through the wall of speechlessness. I turned to Boomer, who was already looking at me. "This is... _so_ beautiful. Thank you."

He smiled one of those heart–wrenching smiles, and my breathing heaved. My heart beat against my ribcage, and I suddenly felt a strange, intense insecurity. Where had that come from? I was hardly ever insecure about most things. I hoped it wasn't what I feared.

As hard as I fought to hide it, my cheeks flushed, and I turned away from him, facing the night-lit city again. I tugged on the ends of my pigtails as my hands shook. I closed my eyes in embarrassment, I scowled inwardly. I knew even though I didn't want to admit it, I couldn't fight this as long as I was around him like this. I knew that the attraction I had to him was so immense, I couldn't just ignore it.

It had always been there, though. And I couldn't believe I was reacting so strongly to him, but I couldn't help it. He just made me feel this way. I was usually able to stifle it for battles, but now that I was there with him in a normal, casual situation, it had begun to surface again.

But, growing up, I had learned to fear him as well. I wasn't really afraid when I was five, six or even ten. But when we all got older, the Rowdyruff boys got bigger, stronger, and more intimidating. We could still beat them, but we had to be extra swift and crafty. Now, they had such a great strength that they could destroy us if we let our guard down.

Thinking about that again made a shudder run down my spine. They truly were our greatest enemies, except for Him. And sometimes Mojo, when he tried hard enough. But we were so evenly matched with the boys, it made them even tougher to beat.

Suddenly, I felt his hand on my shoulder. It startled me, especially after the course my thoughts had taken. I jumped, and an audible, unintentional whimper escaped from my lips. I bit my lip and turned to look at Boomer. He seemed very worried, but taken aback and cautious at the same time.

"Bubbles, are you…" He hesitated, and he turned his eyes from me as if he were ashamed. He swallowed hard before he continued, "Are you still afraid of me?"

My eyes widened, but I said nothing and turned back around. I still was, after all. Of course it wouldn't go away in one night. How could I have trusted him so easily? I would be a fool.

"Bubbles…" he whispered, taking a step towards me. I turned back around hesitantly, but my eyes didn't meet his. He carefully took another step towards me, and without warning, wrapped his arms around me. His right hand held the back of my head while his thumb caressed my ear, and his warm breath tickled my temple as he whispered, "Please don't be afraid."


	5. Unveiled Pt 1

**Chapter Five**

**-Blossom's POV-**

We continued having conversation, and even though on the outside I didn't want to admit it, it felt nice. Brick truly was intelligent, more so than I gave him credit for before. It made the fact that he mostly self-taught himself _and_ his brothers more impressive. And it was nice to talk to someone that had that I shared intellect with.

That's the only reason why I, for lack of a better word, _enjoyed_ talking to him. The _only_ reason.

I'd keep telling myself that.

At one point, we somehow began talking about the opposite sex. Some loose strands of hair fell in my face as I dipped my head down to take a sip of my drink, and as I reached to tuck them behind my ear, to my blatant surprise, Brick did too. His fingertips brushed against my cheek as they passed. I jerked away from his touch in surprise and shock, and a gasp escaped my lips.

What the hell had just happened?

I stared at him, and my eyes were wider past the point of being casual. He stared back, and red met pale pink again. I read his face for a moment, and he looked like he was anticipating my reaction. I tried to gather my thoughts enough to think of some reply, but he spoke before I could think of anything good.

"Sorry. That was...crossing the line." His voice had a sudden softness to it that I didn't understand. Had I not been listening so carefully, I might have had to strain to hear him over the pulsating music.

And he...apologized? To _me?_ I didn't understand at all. This was way too much shock for one night. I remained frozen, unable to blink. I just stared at him. He continued to stare back, unknown emotions flickering across his features. One emotion that I could decipher, though, was uneasiness.

_'Respond.'_ My conscience told me. ' _Respond with_ something.'

I tried to blink myself out of the shock. I also attempted to speak, but all I could make come out of my mouth was "Uh," and "Um,".

The uneasiness from Brick's face vanished, and seemingly on impulse, took my hand in his for the second time that night. My bewilderment grew, and my gaze flickered to our hands. What in the world was he doing? Confusion had flooded my mind so much by now that I was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

"Blossom." His voice sounded significantly deeper. My eyes snapped up to his again, and they were fixated on mine. Somehow, though, this time it wasn't awkward for me. The fact that it wasn't awkward almost scared me. He continued, all humor and and uncertainty gone from his face. "I can tell that you really didn't take me seriously when I told you there was no plan."

I felt the fine hairs on the back of my neck raise, and I froze. Dammit. I really hadn't fooled him at all. I suddenly felt defensive and tried to yank my hand out of his grasp, but he tightened his hand around mine slightly. I stared down at our hands again.

"Let go of me." I murmured this, but I didn't lift my eyes to meet his.

He spoke again in an even softer voice. "Blossom." The way he said my name was kind of like how a husband would say his wife's name while they were in a spat. Gentle yet chiding. Anger swelled into my head, and I looked at him again.

How dare me speak to me that way? As if I were a child, or something. It felt condescending. His face held emotions I wasn't familiar with seeing on his face. They were unrecognizable to me at first.

I stood on my feet, telling him again, "Let. Go." I clenched my teeth together. This was strange, too strange. I had to get out. I took a step away from him, but he pulled me back towards him, even closer than before.

He kept his hand tight around mine. "Blossom, please." His voice was full of concern this time, and it just stirred my confusion up more.

I continued my attempts at escaping. "Why are you talking to me like that?" My tone sounded just as astonished and bewildered as I felt. I tried tugging my hand away from him even harsher, but I failed once more.

He then moved in front of me, making the distance between us shrink. I tried to move backward, but to my great dismay, my back hit the counter. I scowled, and after he finally let go of my hand, he put his muscular arms on either side of me so I couldn't evade him. Somehow, though, it didn't feel threatening. I got the distinct feeling that he would let me leave if I tried this time, and that this stance was more out of desperation than anger.

"Blossom." His tone was louder now, but more steely. His brow was furrowed, but not in the intimidating villain way. He actually seemed frustrated. "Please, just hear me out. Please."

Oh, this had to be good. I folded my arms and began tapping my foot, waiting for another stupid explanation.

I swallowed hard before he continued. "I...really, _desperately..._ need you to trust me." His clear, crimson eyes clouded over as he said this. I watched in wonder for a moment, my burning anger fading for a moment. I soon snapped out of it.

"You want me to _trust_ you?" My tone was drenched in skepticism. "Oh, okay, sure! I'll suddenly trust you after about an hour and a half of talking with you." Sarcasm now. "Oh, sure! Why not? And, while I'm at it, I'll just ignore the past eleven years of battling you, throwing you in jail, and hating you!"

He broke our gaze, his eyes darkening even more. "That's not-"

"Yeah, sure! I'll do that. Because that would _completely_ make sense, right? After all, I'm just an idiotic teenage girl that will do anything for someone so handsome."

His eyes snapped to my face again, and he seemed to be surprised. I didn't understand why he had that look on his face at first, and I rewound what I said to him. I stopped at the word 'handsome'. My jaw hung open, and I slapped a hand over my mouth.

Had I just complemented him _again_?

But I was doing so well with the sarcasm. Why did I have to ruin it with _that?_

Slight amusement crossed his face now, and the cloudiness went away in his eyes. "Did you just call me-"

I cut him off again. "I don't know what you're talking about." I tried to brush it off as if I had never said it, but my burning face probably gave me away.

"But you just said it." There was a smile in his voice.

"That's not the point, anyway." I shook my head, trying to eliminate the embarrassing flush in my cheeks. "The point is, why would I _ever_ have a reason to trust you?"

At my question, his smile faded slightly, and his eyes weren't as bright. "You don't." I then recognized the slight smile on his face as rueful.

I stared, uncomprehending. Okay, so he agreed with me, then? What was his point? "Then, what's your point?" I verbalized this aloud, and I felt my face crumple into a new, perturbed expression.

He leaned closer to me, his face unmistakably serious again. Strangely, though, I didn't feel the need to shrink away from him. "I may not deserve it," he paused, lowering his eyes to my lips, then up to my eyes again. His voice was low and soft. "But I just want a chance."

What an idiot. He wanted a _chance_? Why was he so bent on convincing me to trust him? Was his plan really that important? Why hadn't he given up already?

I opened my mouth to reply with more sarcasm, but I was interrupted my the current song coming to an abrupt end. Silence, besides the roar of voices of everyone in the building, ensued then, and it was a weird contrast to the pulsating beat from before. Then, a loud, nearly _manic_ voice boomed over the speakers overhead.

"Alright, everybody! Guess what time it is?! It's... _TALENT HOUR!_ "

Hooting and hollering resulted at that statement, along with nearly everyone clapping enthusiastically.

I suddenly felt awkward standing there with Brick looming over me and our faces much closer than I had realized. Especially now that there wasn't the music and dancers as a distraction. A few people began looking at us in curiosity. Brick hadn't seemed to notice at first, but I cleared my throat and gestured to our small audience. As soon as he spun to look at them, he backed away from me and went to sit down on his barstool again.

I followed suit, and there was a brief awkward silence between us.

'This whole plan thing is getting weirder and weirder.' I thought, and I stared Brick down again, whom had already focused his attention at the band preparing to perform in the middle of the dance floor. 'It just doesn't make sense.'

"And now, introducing our first act," The commercial-sounding voice boomed again. "Please give a warm welcome to the band 'All or Nothing'!" Applause flooded the building, and soon an upbeat punk-pop song replaced it. They seemed to be a crowd favorite, and a few people started dancing.

As good as the band was, I wasn't paying much attention. I couldn't stop looking at that complicated red-headed boy next to me.

Currently, he was tapping his fingers on the counter to the beat of the song, watching the band intently. The usual scowl was back on his face. I studied him without really realizing that I was.

He was a very complex person. I hadn't realized it at all before, but he was really was. There were layers of him that I hadn't noticed before. Some layers were shallow, such as the angry, conniving villain that I was used to seeing. But, when I saw the depths of his eyes earlier, I saw something I had never seen before. The layers he kept hidden were far deeper than I ever imagined they could be.

I watched the bright, flashing lights dance across his face, and there seemed to be some excitement present on his features.

'He must really like this band,' I observed nonchalantly.

A little voice in the back of my head spoke up again suddenly. ' _Hmm...interesting_.' One of the weirder things about me was that I often went to my conscience for guidance. I couldn't remember when I started doing so, but it had always been something I did. Well, you know what they say about geniuses. Maybe I was crazy after all. I mentally gaped at my conscience.

'What? It's just something I happened to notice, it's not like I care.' I protested inwardly, more to myself than my conscience. My conscience laughed at me mockingly.

' _Something you just_ happened _to notice? Like, while you where staring at him for two straight minutes?'_

I didn't respond. Instead, I tore my eyes away from Brick. I hadn't realized it had been two minutes already.

' _Haha...oh dear. Blossom...Blossom.'_ My conscience tsked. _'How long have I known you? Your whole life, that's how long! And you're using this excuse again_?'

'But-' I started, but I was quickly interrupted.

' _You always make excuses for what you want to do, but you feel you shouldn't. Like for example...dancing. You've even somehow convinced_ me _that it's bad. But you know what? It's not. It's not outrageous for the leader of the Powerpuff Girls to love dancing, okay? That's ridiculous. If it's something you love to do, honey, you need to let that shine! Don't just smother it!_ '

I stayed silent again, processing what 'she' said. It was true, it was sort of ridiculous. But it wouldn't have been the first time I overreacted about something.

' _Oh, and another thing!_ ' My conscience started again. 'S _top ignoring your feelings.'_

I felt my forehead crumple. Feelings?

_'Uh huh. Honey, you have done this almost your whole life!'_

What was 'she' talking about?

My conscience sighed. _'Remember Jake? Your first love at age nine? Yes, your first puppy love. Remember how you tried to push him away and avoid him after he told you he liked you? You didn't do this because you hated him or anything. You did it because you felt the same way, but didn't know how to express it.'_

I did remember. But why was she giving me a history lesson? What did Jake have to do with anything?

_'Hold on, I'm getting to it. Oh, and remember Trevor? Your first kiss at age twelve? Remember how you liked him so much, but you avoided your feelings for the sake of Professor, because his heart was breaking seeing you grow up so fast?'_

I felt a small ripple of guilt hit me, on behalf of Trevor _and_ Professor. That had been very stressful, especially for a twelve year old.

_'Now, remember every time you would get a new crush or liked someone else, you would get a twinge of guilt and you didn't know why?'_

I tried to remember, and surprisingly, I did remember. But I just assumed I felt guilty because of Professor, he always did have trouble watching us grow up.

' _No, no! That's not even close.'_

I pouted inwardly for a moment. Well, then, what was it?

_'Blossom, I know you know this. You just don't want to accept it. You have known Brick for eleven years, but you've been denying your feelings this whole time by shielding it with hatred_.' My conscience paused for a moment, waiting for my reaction.

I really hoped that 'she' wasn't heading in the direction that I saw coming. 'No. Don't say it. Don't you _dare_ say it.'

' _You have feelings for Brick, Blossom_.'

I frowned outwardly. Okay, I was _definitely_ crazy. If my conscience wasn't making sense anymore, then there really was no hope for me. That was it. I really was insane.

I suddenly sensed a slight difference in the room, and I snapped myself out of my thoughts. The song ended, and applause roared from the crowd. There was an abrupt announcement for short intermission while the next act was preparing, and I felt Brick look at me again. I kept my face turned away.

Stupid, stupid conscience. Stupid insanity. That wasn't even a possibility. It was preposterous.

He spoke again, making me glance at him in habit. "Damn. They were wicked, weren't they?" He said with that stupid, stunning, crooked smile that I couldn't help but stare at.

Preposterous.

Impossible.

Unfathomable.

But I still hadn't switched my gaze from him.

And I couldn't.

* * *

**-Buttercup's POV-**

Prying myself out of Butch Jojo's arms was surprisingly hard, even for me.

I took a few large steps back, the shock of being so close to him making my knees buckle. I knew it had been noticeable, so I ran my shaking hands through my unruly raven locks to steady them. I was really shaken up. I glowered at him. Though, at that moment, I really hoped my embarrassed red face hadn't given me away.

"You just don't know how to keep your hands to yourself, do you?" I stated, cocking an eyebrow. His returning grin was sheepish, and I felt my eyebrows raise at the sight of it.

"Aw, come on, sweet cheeks. I can't help that you're so damn irresistible."

I folded my arms, hiding my fidgeting hands under my forearms. What was with all these sudden...compliments? Was that the word for it? That _was_ what they were, wasn't it?

"Don't call me that." I tried to swallow back the shock clogging my throat. "And what the hell do you mean by that?" I cursed inwardly when my voice sounded feeble. Unfortunately for me, he noticed the new tone of my voice, and his smirk deepened. He took a step closer to me.

"I mean that I can't keep my hands off of you." He paused, putting his strong hands on my shoulders to prove his point, though I didn't know if he did it intentionally. My skin crackled with a strange sensation beneath his fingertips. One of his eyebrows raised in a challenging manner. "Is that such a crime?"

"Keep your paws off me, you ingrate." I was staring at him like he had leprosy. I shrugged his hand off me roughly.

Strangely, he continued, ignoring my insult. "And, I - " His voice was suddenly clean of any humor and amusement, and his peacock green eyes left me no choice but to stare into them. There, I saw something hidden in his eyes that I never had seen before. It was foreign to me, so I kept my eyes there. "I need to - " He suddenly sighed, his hands dropping to his sides and his eyes leaving mine. "Forget it, dumbass." He snapped, his demeaning voice back. He turned away slightly and stared down at his shoes.

My shoulders slumped. For whatever reason, I suddenly felt abandoned. Never mind the fact that he had insulted me again. I ignored it, I was suddenly focused on something else. "No," I interjected suddenly, even surprising myself. My tone wasn't even annoyed, like it probably should have been. "What? What were you going to say?"

He glanced at me again, a surprised expression on his face. But the expression left as soon as it came and was replaced by a cold glare. "What do you care?" he replied, his arms folding across his muscled chest.

Hell, I didn't even know why I cared. Morbid curiosity maybe? I wasn't sure myself. I shrugged. "I just want to know."

Butch raised an eyebrow and blew some rogue long strands of jet black hair out of his right eye. I realized with slight disappointment that the glint I had seen in his eyes had disappeared again. "Well, then, that's just too bad."

I rolled my eyes. I was genuinely curious now. What was the reason he didn't want to tell me? Maybe if I got him to say it, I would see that strange glint again. "What, was it stupid or something?"

He scoffed. "None of your business."

"If you were about to say it to me, then _yeah_ , it is my business." I smirked with satisfaction. I folded my arms without realizing I was mirroring him.

He pretended to be impressed, along with a mocking gasp. "Oooh, did you come up with that one all by yourself?"

My smirk was gone. "Don't mock me." I felt my lip curl.

"I can if I want to, brat."

"Stop changing the damn subject."

"You brought it up!"

"I did not!"

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did no-" I paused when I realized I was having an elementary school leveled argument. "Oh my God, seriously? Are we seriously having this argument?" I snarled at him.

He stifled a laugh, quite childishly, I might add. "Yeah, okay. I still say you did, Butterbrat." he replied.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Did you seriously just call me that?"

Butch just shrugged in response, smug grin on his face.

I rolled my eyes and huffed an aggravated sigh. "God, you are so annoying. And stubborn. Just spit it out, already."

"I'm not stubborn. I just don't feel like it," he said, turning a chair around behind him around and sitting down. "Besides, look who's talking. You're the one who brought this whole conversation up."

I cocked an eyebrow. " _I'm_ stubborn? I am _not_ stubborn." Okay, so, I kind of was. But I wasn't going to admit it to _him._

Butch hooted a laugh outright, throwing his head back. "Are you joking? You're the one who's kept this whole thing going."

"Whatever." I stepped closer to him, putting my hands on my hips. Not in a 'princess' way, but in a 'don't mess with me' way. "I'm just...determined." I added, narrowing my eyes. "And, I swear, if you change the subject one more time - "

"You'll what?" he interrupted, leaning back in his seat with a wide smirk on his face. His tone mocked me once again. "Beat me up?"

I shook my head slowly. He did _not_ just go there. Suddenly, like a switch was turned on, I was angry once more. Fury boiled deep in my chest as I took another step forward.

Butch watched me with challenge in his eyes as I neared him. "Aww, am I making widdle Buttercup mad?"

By now, my fists were already clenched and cheeks burned with anger. Rage blistered my insides. I put a leg on each side of the chair and grabbed the hood of his black Slipknot hoodie harshly. I raised a fist to his face in warning. He looked up at me, face infuriatingly even with a calm smile on his face, as if I wasn't phasing him at all.

"Oh my God, Butch, I swear I'm going to - " I growled this in his face, and I was too busy preparing myself to beat the shit out of him to feel our noses brush against each other. In fact, my anger was blinding me to the fact that I our faces were less than two inches apart.

Then, he spoke again. His eyes were half lidded as he tilted his head back. "Okay, tell you what, spitfire. Fine. I'll tell you what I was gonna say."

I heaved a sigh, but I wasn't anywhere near cooling off. "Goddamn, it's about ti - "

I was interrupted.

But this time, instead of interrupting me by running his mouth, inevitably saying something so stupid that it made me even more angry, he closed the remaining space between us by pressing his lips to mine.

* * *

**-Bubbles' POV-**

I blinked rapidly, and I felt my cheeks flood with heat again. My head swirled with his warm and comforting scent, and the stars above us seemed to spin as I finally came to the realization.

Boomer Jojo was holding me lovingly in his arms.

Boomer. The boy that pulled on my pigtails for the fun of it when we were five years old, and the boy who sometimes beat me senseless in battles growing up. The boy who teased me growing up, the boy whom I learned to put a mask of hate towards, and the boy whom I learned to fear as well as secretly have feelings for...was _holding me_.

I suddenly felt my knees going limp. Why was he doing this? This...wasn't the Boomer I knew growing up. But yet again...I didn't really know the real him in the first place. The only side of him I saw was being the idiotic Rowdyruff boy that had a love of stealing, fighting, and making me feel like crap.

And more stealing.

Hesitant to speak up at first after such an episode, I went ahead and cleared my throat. "Uh...um...Boomer?" I started, my voice quiet.

Boomer still held his arms around me and stroked my ear as he answered with a simple, "Hmm?" and if it weren't almost right next to my ear, I probably wouldn't have heard it at all.

I swallowed thickly so I could continue. "Are...are you feeling okay?"

His thumb paused mid-stroke and he pulled back from his embrace. Before I could stop it, a sigh of disappointment slipped out of me as his body heat and scent became more distant. He chuckled, but whether it was at my question or at my reaction to him moving away, I wasn't sure. He rested his forehead against mine, having to hunch down a bit lower to do so. Deep blue locked with icy blue for a silent moment, and a chill ran down my spine.

He smiled softly, then said, "Bubbles...I have to be honest with you." His smile began to fade, and he and took his forehead off of mine to sit down on the cold cement ground. Bringing his knees up to his chest, he gazed out at the city.

I watched the emotions scatter in his eyes, trying to decipher each individual one. I could tell there was longing in his eyes, and for what caused it, I wasn't sure. The rest I didn't recognize. I moved onto the rest of his face, and I noticed the way his long pale blonde hair swayed in front of his intense, piercing sapphire eyes, and how the bright moonlight reflected off of his semi-tanned skin, making him look almost cherubic. I had been completely transfixed on him when I realized that he hadn't continued. Part of me wanted to stare more, but the other part wanted to hear what he had to say.

"What do you mean?" I took a few steps back to sit down next to him, but not too close in case he wanted some space. As soon as I was next to him, he snapped out of his gaze to glance at me. "What do you have to be honest about?"

After looking away, he said, "I don't exactly know how to put this." He cleared his throat awkwardly and dragged a hand through his locks. He looked up at me once again, his now half-lidded eyes lingering at my face. They held uncertainty, and his face was hesitant.

Still intrigued with what he had to say, I wrapped my arms around my knees and rested my head on them. I gave him a small grin, silently encouraging him to go on. He scooted closer to me, which took me blatantly by surprise. He finally spoke up again. "You know...I never thought I would tell you this, but..." he paused, looking down at his black Chuck Taylors. He twiddled a darkened shoelace between his thumb and forefinger. "The thought of you completely fearing me tears me up inside."

My eyes shot open wider, and as soon as I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, he continued.

"I know it sounds really stupid, but every time I face you in battle, it's...God, its literally a living hell for me. When I was young, I never imagined that hurting you, verbally and physically, would one day hurt me...but it's freaking _unbearable_." He paused again, pressing his palms to his temples. "I really don't mean _any_ of it, Bubbles. All of the name-calling, all of the times I hurt you...I mean, except for when we were nine and younger. Then, all I cared about was fighting, causing havoc and proving myself to my brothers and Him. But, now...its like none of those matter to me anymore. I lost all of interest in that...the moment I fell for you."

By now, my entire face was hot and tears fell freely from my eyes. My heart beat irregularly at his words. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was it real? Was I asleep? Would I wake up at any moment, and would all of this evaporate the moment I became conscious?

"I remember the exact day that I did. After me and my brothers robbed a bank one day, you guys came. We were ten. Remember when you had braces? I think you had your braces tightened that day, so your mouth hurt. When we started fighting, I remember punching your mouth a lot and teasing you about it...damn, this is hard..." He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassment evident on his face and in his tone. He pushed his palms to his temples again. "...And, after I had kicked you pretty hard in the stomach...you toppled over and coughed out blood, then you looked up at me with pain in your eyes. Then, out of the blue, you said, 'Why do you try so hard to impress them?' and I knew immediately that you were talking about my brothers. I played dumb and said, 'What are you talking about?' and you said, 'You don't have to be like this, I know how they treat you.'

"I knew you were talking about the time where you dressed like me and pretended to be me...when we were six. Remember that? My idiot brothers didn't even realize it was you, and treated you as they would treat me. God, they're stupid. But then you said, 'I know what you go through everyday. But you don't have to go on like this. I can help you.' And then you smiled at me.

"A true genuine smile, even though you had blood on your chin and you were in so much pain...I just remember staring at you.

"You were so damn cute. Even clouded with pain, your bright blue eyes sparked. For the first time, I realized how kindhearted you were...I hurt you countless times, and yet you were able to even _look_ at me, let alone smile at me like that. After that, guilt flooded over me, but I pretended not to be affected. From then on, I saw you differently."

He took his palms from his temples and looked back at me as I cried. I almost felt ashamed that he was watching me crumble before him, but I didn't care. Not anymore.

He leaned over close to me and rested a hand on the opposite side of my face, gently brushing his lips against my ear. His warm breath raised goosebumps on my skin. "I've tried to tell myself otherwise, and I've tried to avoid it...but I can't deny it anymore, Bubbles."

Bringing his hands to both sides of my face and he briefly brushed his lips against mine. My breath caught in my chest, and my bones turned to jelly. I started to murmur, "Boomer," but he captured my mouth with his. He kissed me gently, yet it had so much passion. It was the only kind of passion that can result by being held in for six years.

I couldn't believe this was happening. I let more tears roll down my cheeks as my heart pounded faster than I thought was possible. Fireworks exploded behind my eyelids, and after a few moments, he pulled away and kissed my right eyelid softly after wiping my tears away.

I put my hands on top of his, trembling, and somehow, I wanted to be even closer to him than I already was. He whispered to me against my cheek. "Please believe me, baby. I'm in love with you."

As many times as I had imagined it, I never thought it would be that amazing to hear those 5 words from him.


	6. Unveiled Pt 2

**Chapter Six**

**-Back to Buttercup's POV-**

His lips were hard and demanding against mine.

My legs had given out, and I just sat there on his lap, most likely in shock. At that point, I don't think it had really hit me yet that Butch was kissing me.

The feeling reminded me of getting in a bike wreck when I was little. At first, after crashing, I would sit there on the sidewalk in a daze, wondering what happened. Then, I would look down at the torn up skin on my knees. Only _then_ would the realization and the pain come and hit me full force.

Only this time, my mortal enemy, my evil counterpart, the boy I had sworn to kill from the first moment I'd met him, was kissing me. And not just a little accidental, 'Oops! My lips slipped,' if that has ever really happened in the history of mankind. Oh, no. This was not one of those kisses. This was one of those kisses that you see in TV shows when the lead couple's about to do the dirty dirty.

And, honestly? I didn't even think that was possible for him. I didn't even think he…well, did those kinds of things. He was a super villain. And, apparently, super villains go around making out with random people all the time. He'd had to get this kind of experience somewhere.

As for that realization that should have hit me full force? Yeah, that hadn't happened yet.

He placed his hands on my waist to steady me, probably sensing from my unresponsiveness that I was partially catatonic. His hands were big; his fingers were spread all the way from the bottom half of my ribcage to my hips. He had his eyes closed, but mine were open wide.

And it wasn't like I hadn't been kissed before, but considering the circumstances, I had a hard time understanding-slash-believing that this was actually happening.

Butch's warm tongue pushed through my still lips, and his hands squeezed my waist, probably to get a response from me. Well, I responded alright. I suddenly snapped out of my shocked reverie with a loud gasp, and I jumped away from him with a push.

I fell backwards in the process, and I landed on the ground with an uncomfortable thud. I scrambled backward away from him and stared with wide eyes, like he was the slasher in a horror movie and I was the unlucky first victim that had fallen into a trap. I brought a hand up to my violated mouth, and my lips still tingled.

Every inch of my skin was boiling like I had a fever, and my heart was thundering against my ribcage, like it felt when I was in the middle of an intense battle. But I wasn't in a battle. What was wrong with me?

Was I actually coming down with something? Or was it those three Mountain Dews catching up with me?

At first, Butch looked at me with a dull, quizzical look on his face, but then it twisted into amusement. Suddenly, he burst into laughter.

For a second I was astonished that he was actually laughing. After such a strange, unexpected moment like that, laughing seemed so…unfitting. But then reality caved in and I scowled at him darkly. He clutched his stomach and started laughing harder.

"And _what,_ may I ask, is so funny?" I growled at him, finding that my voice came out weak again.

This only made him laugh even harder. Between gasps of air, he replied, "What...what the _hell_...is wrong with you?"

At his words, my glare softened and I looked down at the ripped knees of my black jeans. Hell, I didn't even know what was wrong with me. Maybe I really was getting sick. I hoped Butch would get whatever I was getting. That's what he deserved for…for _assaulting_ me. I would remember to cross my fingers for it later.

I stood up from the ground and began brushing off my skirt. Looking back up at him, I noticed his laughter had subsided and he was scowling at me like normal, so I scowled back as always.

"How should I know?" It was the only response I could think of, and with it, I spun around and went to sit down on another chair with a dignified huff.

There was a deep silence, and for a few moments, I thought that he had finally decided to leave me alone. Strangely, though, I didn't like the sound of that thought as much as I should have. It was what I wanted, right? So why wasn't I content with it?

My thoughts were silenced when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pull up a chair next to mine. I glanced at him, mildly irritated that he was still there. I said nothing though. His eyes were fixated on mine, and his eyebrows were furrowed. I mirrored his expression and shrugged expectantly.

Suddenly, he spoke up. "You know, tiny, I just answered your question."

My mouth opened in protest when he called me 'tiny', but then it closed in confusion."What the hell are you talking about, crap-for-brains?"

He cocked an eyebrow at me; probably at the name I had called him. Whatever. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the topic we just fought about for ten minutes?" He said sarcastically.

I glanced away and blinked hard, realizing I had forgotten about what we were fighting about in the first place. I had _completely_ forgotten. But it wasn't really my fault. After all, it's not every day that an argument I'm having ends with a kiss—er, assault.

Then, I remembered that the whole thing had started when I told him to finish what he was going to say. I raised my eyebrows. "So...am I supposed to know what that means? Or should I just assume that you go around kissing people randomly all the time?" Saying the last question out loud unsettled me slightly, and I shifted my twitching hands to my lap.

Butch sighed impatiently and shoved a hand through his hair. "Damn. You have no idea how oblivious you are."

My eyebrows fell in a scowl again. His douche-y-ness was really starting to piss me off. I had come here to have fun, and now all I was getting was high blood pressure.

"I don't need this." I growled at him, slamming a hand on the table. I stood up and turned to leave, but stopped in my tracks when his hand shot out to grab my wrist.

A delayed moment later, he murmured, "Wait."

I snatched my wrist back in disdain and adjusted my arm warmer, keeping my eyes from him. I waited for him to throw another insult at me, since I assumed that was what he stopped me for.

After second of silence, I turned my eyes from my arm warmer to give him another expectant look. But instead, I found myself staring at him.

His expression was desperate, and that look in his eyes was back. No, not the villainous, secretly-plotting look. It was the one I had seen earlier when he had looked into my eyes.

"Wait," he repeated, a little calmer this time. "Don't go."

I noticed how every few seconds he would glance off at something—or maybe at nothing—in particular, as if he couldn't look me in the eye.

"What, did you forget to insult something else about me? Like my 'boyish personality'?" I said flatly, quoting when he had said that to me in a fight a month earlier.

He clenched his jaw, his eyebrows angling back to the way they usually were, in a scowl. "No," his tone was pained. He appeared to be uneasy. "Look, I'm—" he paused for a moment, grinding his teeth. "I'm... _sorry_ , okay?"

Despite myself, my jaw dropped. Well, _that_ was unexpected.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I only said that because...well, you are." He held his hands up in protest when I growled. "But, hold on. Let me finish. I said it because...well, I guess I expected you to get the subtlety I've used this whole time." He opened his mouth to say something else, but I interrupted him.

"I'm getting bored over here; can we get to the point?"

He stared at me for a second, and then dragged a hand down his face. "Okay then," he muttered, clearing his throat. He looked remarkably uncomfortable.

I didn't even bother to hide the amusement on my face.

He noticed the look I gave him and stood up. "Why am I even doing this?" There was a tone of aggravation in his voice which was as familiar to me as my own name, but there was also a sense of surrender in it as well, which I had never heard in my life.

This really caught me off guard, and I hurried to stand up as he turned to leave. "Okay, okay. I'll listen, alright?" I glanced up at him, even though his back was to me.

"No, you _won't_." He snarled, taking a few quick steps forward.

I mirrored his steps, rushing after his retreating back. "No, really. I will." I argued.

"Stop it." His voice was louder this time.

Something about the harsh tension in his stance warned me that I should stop, but I couldn't. "Butch—"

Suddenly he whirled around, slamming his hands into the table between us. The tabletop splintered in two, and one of the halves tumbled to the ground. His face was dark red, and the tendons in his neck were raised tight against his skin. My protest died in my throat. A few people around us murmured and moved away.

I had infuriated him, but I didn't know how I had. I was persistent, yes, but what had I said to make him so angry?

"Oh my _God_." He bellowed, his face just inches from mine. " _Damn it_ , Buttercup!" Other teens around us scampered away at the sound of his rage.

I inched away myself. I hadn't seen him this angry in a long time, and for a good hour or so, I had forgotten he was capable of such fury. But I froze in my place when I realized that for once, when he was mad, he hadn't called me Butterbutt or bitch or skank, like he usually did.

He'd called me by my name.

Butch continued, his eyes intense and searing. "Do you want to know why I kissed you? Because I had to confirm that I—" He cut off, briefly breaking eye contact.

What the hell was going on? I slowly took another step back. On second thought, I realized he was angrier than I'd ever seen him before. I couldn't recall any other time he was so mad, even when he'd gone after Blossom in a blind, murderous rage after she gave Brick that scar. He was actually making me nervous.

He sat down at the half-destroyed table, seeming to try to get a hold of himself. He clenched his jaw tightly. I didn't know what to do, so I stood there.

After his pause, he spoke up calmer this time. "I can't believe the power you have on me." His palm covered his left eye, his fingers tangled in his hair.

I listened to what he was saying, but I didn't know how he meant them. I felt like I walked in on the middle of someone else's conversation, and I had no idea what they were talking about.

In my mind, I debated whether I should speak up again. In the end, I decided to. I slowly sat down across from him at the mangled table. "Butch, you aren't making sense. What are you saying—"

"Holy _shit_ , Buttercup!" he shouted, cutting me off. He slammed both of his fists into the table again, and the rest of the tabletop crashed to the linoleum floor.

I jumped at his new burst of anger, startled, and my heart leaped into my throat. The few people near us that hadn't moved before whispered amongst themselves in alarm and scurried away.

"What the hell is your problem?" I shouted back, then stared down at the wooden table debris at our feet. I muttered, "I knew you would try to destroy _something_ here."

"Shut up!" He stood up, and his chair flew back and hit the ground. "Just shut _up._ " He lurched forward and seized my shoulders, lifting me to my feet.

I choked back a surprised gasp. "Let go of me, asshole!" I swatted his arms roughly, but he either didn't notice my attempts or he just didn't care. It just annoyed me more. I twisted against his tight grasp.

"Stop!" He paused, and his face softened. He stared at me now. "You just don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" I snarled. I'd about had it with his condescending tone and his vague statements. I didn't care that I was in a club. I was about to whoop his sorry ass in three…two…

He paused again, pointedly, but never broke eye contact. His steady gaze was starting to make me uncomfortable. His eyes were dark and cloudy. "Damn it. When I see you, or when I hear your voice or…hell, even just hearing your name...I just..."

I didn't know if it was my wild imagination, that cold I was coming down with, or those Mountain Dews again, but if I didn't know any better, I would have thought I saw a wave of weakness pass over his face. I stopped writhing in his hands.

He looked like he was struggling with what he wanted to say. He frowned, looking away from me. "...I just…want to jump off of a cliff without flying, just to see if the rush even compares to what I feel when I see you. You make me want to scream at the top of my lungs about you until my throat is raw, until the whole world knows. Every time I make you bleed...I want to shove a knife through my heart so I can't hurt you anymore. When you look at me, or even when you're insulting me and screaming at me," he paused, a wry grin spread on his face, "my heart speeds up, and I can't slow it down."

My heart was thundering again, and I didn't understand why. Why did my heart only pound this hard when _he_ did things like this? It couldn't be the Mountain Dew. My resolve wavered.

I tried to swallow, and my throat was dry. I couldn't say anything.

Butch had let go of my shoulders, but I felt something shaking against the outsides of my legs. I tore my eyes away from Butch, and I realized that they were my hands. My hands were trembling.

Why? What was wrong with me? Why was my body reacting this way? I had never felt this before.

His words repeated in my head. 'My heart speeds up, and I can't slow it down.' Is that what he meant? It happened to him too?

I watched as Butch walked around the destroyed table and over to me. He walked close, and he finally stopped when he was less than a foot away.

His eyes still held mine as he placed a firm hand at the nape of my neck and the other one went to hold my lower back, pulling me closer to him. I let him. And for the first time in my eleven years of knowing him, I felt weak under his gaze.

"Do you get it now?" The tone of his voice was now soft, so soft I could barely hear him over the loud music I'd completely forgotten about until then. He shook his head, and his lips curved upward in a dry, but genuine, smile. "I don't know how it happened along this road of hate, but I've fallen for you, Buttercup."

I stared at this stranger. Butch Jojo was notorious for compulsive stealing, vandalism, destruction, and he'd even been responsible for several innocent deaths. He was the one person in this world that I really, truly hated. I'd hated him all my life.

But this wasn't Butch. This was someone else entirely.

Over the years I'd known him, I knew his mannerisms, fight strategies, facial expressions and even his personality like the back of my hand. Butch didn't smile, Butch didn't apologize, hell, Butch hardly had logic.

But this person was a complete stranger to me.

Maybe I didn't really know him like I thought I did. Maybe, inside, he had a soul. Maybe he really did have coherent thought, a conscience, and real emotions, like me and my sisters had. Maybe he wasn't really evil.

And maybe, somewhere in me, I didn't really hate him.

Butch leaned in and slanted his mouth over mine. I let him.

That very moment, the barrier around my heart shattered.

* * *

**-Back to Blossom's POV-**

"And now, introducing our next act..." the announcer person paused as a drum roll played.

I rolled my eyes and rested my chin on my fist. 'Here we go again,' I thought.

"...Everybody make some noise for Princess Morbucks!"

I gasped sharply, almost inhaling saliva. Come again? I focused my attention to the dance floor, and sure enough, Princess stood there in all her purple-clad and snooty glory, microphone in hand.

"Oh dear God," I said aloud, pressing a hand to my forehead.

Brick, seeing my reaction, stifled a laugh. "I know," he said sheepishly, flashing one of those crooked smiles. "You have every right to be alarmed, trust me."

I stared at him. "You've heard her sing before?"

His crooked smile turned grim. "Unfortunately. I think it permanently ruined my hearing."

I tried not to laugh, even though I knew he was joking. I'd heard her once or twice in passing, but in a _microphone?_ I wondered if, by chance, the speakers might malfunction or explode as soon as she started her song.

Suddenly, he spoke up. "So, for the sake of my hearing, and yours," I wasn't so sure he was joking about that now. "Want to get out of here, you know, for the time being?"

I paused, looking down at the table. What exactly did 'out of here' mean? Across the street, at Mario's restaurant? For some reason, I couldn't picture the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys ordering ravioli or chicken parmesan. Or did he mean the ice cream place a few blocks down? It was pretty late, though, so it would have to be closed by now. Or did he mean a fast food place? A walk down the street? His car in the parking lot?

I shuddered visibly, although I wasn't sure why, at that last possible scenario, and Brick noticed.

"Or we can just stay here. If you're cold inside the building, then you'd probably be colder outside."

I perked up at the word 'outside'. Outside, I could fly as fast as I needed to. And at least I wouldn't have to deal with awkward dinner conversations, like in a closed-in, quiet restaurant. We'd probably be back soon anyway, and I had my cell phone to call Bubbles and Buttercup if an emergency came up. What was the harm?

I finally looked back up at Brick and nodded. "Sure, why not?" I flinched when Princess's microphone howled, a sign that it was on and ready for her song. I added hastily, "Anywhere but here is fine with me."

"Me too," he replied, standing up. "Let's go then, before this thing starts."

I stood up with him and, as he walked past me, I began walking behind him. Then, when we fell into step toward the exit, he turned his head to look at me and, before I could ask what he was looking at, he took my hand in his.

As soon as we stepped outside of the loud building, we took flight into the dark night sky, our hands still linked together. Brick was slightly ahead of me, leading the way. I didn't know where we were going, and that probably should have worried me, but for the first time that night, I really didn't care.

Neither of us had said a word in a while. It was just...silent. But, it was a comfortable silence.

I glanced over my shoulder, and 'Electric Blue' was starting to seem further and further away. I looked closer at the rooftop, and what I saw surprised me. I even took a double take, just to make sure I wasn't seeing things. But sure enough, there it was.

Right there, before my eyes, was my carefree and adorable sister Bubbles, sitting closely with the blue Rowdyruff, Boomer. His arm was around her, and their faces were close.

My flying almost faltered, I was so shocked. I'd known Bubbles was somewhere else, but I didn't think she was with _him_. Did that mean Buttercup was with Butch, too?

And even though seeing the blues in such an intimate moment should have confused me, or even made me angry, in a way, it made sense.

Bubbles had confided in me once when we were younger that she thought she might have a crush on Boomer. I immediately scolded her like a disobedient child. I told her that there was absolutely zero chance that she would ever be able to be with him.

A bit heartlessly, I had told her to give up on her feelings, because it was a waste of time and she would eventually get hurt emotionally.

I watched as Boomer reached to tuck some of her hair behind her ear, with a carefulness and gentleness I'd never seen in him. Who knows? Maybe I'd been wrong.

Maybe I'd been wrong about all of the boys. Maybe villains do change sometimes.

I turned from the sight, feeling the sudden need to give them privacy.

Blinking as my eyes adjusted to the bright moonlight, I unknowingly re-focused my attention to the red Rowdyruff. I only saw half of his face from where I was, but I still stared.

His dark ruby eyes squinted against the wind, and his face was far away, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Some strands of his long red hair had come loose from his low ponytail, and they blew across his face. The moonlight shone across his face, and soft shadows were formed over his eyes, in the crease just under his cheekbones and his under his angular jaw line. I'd never consciously noticed before, or maybe I just hadn't allowed myself to notice, but Brick really was handsome. Maybe even beautiful.

And I had come to this conclusion so simply and easily, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world, that it scared me.

Uneasily, I lifted my eyes to his eyes again and my stomach churned suddenly. There it was. The scar. It was hardly visible at the moment, but I had grown so used to seeing it that I had hardly noticed it anymore. I'd hardly thought about how it got there in the first place.

The scar was above his right eye, a diagonal white line that slashed completely through his eyebrow. Staring at it, the memory started to flow back.

 _'Remember what happened that day, Blossom?'_ My conscience said to me in a gentle 'voice'.

How could I forget? I would never forget that day.

**-Flashback, 7 years ago-**

I stared my 9 year old red counterpart down, giving him a malicious glare. He himself smirked, leaning back on the brick wall behind him and folding his arms lazily.

"Hey _babe_ ," he spat out the word 'babe' as if it were the nastiest word he had ever said, even though I'd heard him say much nastier ones. He said provokingly, "Come to play?"

This day had been one of the worst in my recent memory. Not only had I managed to get _no_ sleep the night before, but my tiredness affected my thinking process, and I'd answered 3 questions wrong in my classes today, which was extremely bad for me, considering I never got any answers wrong. Not only that, but I tripped and fell on the sidewalk _twice_ , causing me to get twin scrapes on my knees (which didn't go away for longer than usual, because of my fatigue), and spilled all my food at lunch. I cringed inwardly.

All I knew was that I needed someone to take it all out on, and when I saw Brick without his brothers, harassing a rich-looking old woman for her purse, I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity.

"You caught me on a bad day, loser." I snarled, getting into a fighting stance. "Prepare to cry."

Anger flashed across his deadly dark red eyes, and with a loud, feral growl, he flew at me. Eager for the fight, I flew at him. At the same time, Brick swung a ready fist at me as I swung mine at him. My fist hit his nose while his hit me square to the jaw. I grunted at the impact, but I didn't let that slow me down. Curling my other hand into a fist, I swung it at his face again, but this time he expected it. In one swift move, he caught my fist in his other hand and jabbed a fierce uppercut to my abdomen with his other hand. I wasn't expecting this at all, and I exhaled audibly at the force of the blow.

I took in a deep breath, and with a yell, I snatched the hand that held my fist, dug my nails into his skin and lifted him off the ground, smashing him into the black concrete with all of my strength. The ground shook from the force of the blow, and the dark, rough concrete disintegrated beneath him.

He cried out, his teeth tightly together. For a brief moment, a look of pain flashed across his face. Then, not even a second later, he snatched his arm back and leaped into the air, as if he'd never been injured.

He lunged toward my throat, and I ducked and aimed a roundhouse kick at the back of his head. He let out an annoyed grunt and turned his face toward me, something behind his eyes flashing. Before I could duck out of the way, blazing hot light came from his eyes and stung my face.

I made a squawking noise and fell back on my butt, bringing a hand up to my skin to rub away the burning.

In my mind, I kept telling myself to get up, but my legs wouldn't listen. _Get up_ , I thought. _Don't stop now._ Through my mantra, I heard Brick's laughter erupting.

"What's wrong, pinky?" His tone mocked me. He bent at the waist and appraised me. "Are you really this pathetic?"

My anger flared, and my eyes narrowed. This made him laugh even harder.

"Aw," he said. "Is little Blossom mad at me? Did I hurt her feelings?"

I screamed and leaped at him from the ground. I clawed at his bewildered face, spun around and crushed my heel into his stomach with a blunt kick. He flew back a good nine feet and tumbled to the ground. I flew at him again.

He scrambled to get up, but as soon as he was on his feet, I kicked him swiftly behind the knees. He fell backwards again, but recovered quickly at kicked at me. Avoiding his incoming leg, I jumped upwards in a somersault over his head, reaching a hand down to snatch up his beloved red hat. I landed lightly on my feet behind him.

He spun around to face me, and in astonish, he brought his hands up only to feel his revealed, unruly, short red hair. Then, the look on his face became deadly. His eyes became so dark, they almost looked black, and his face was a deep red.

Brick's hat was sacred to him, and in his eyes, I had just crossed a line. But that was what I wanted.

Before he could begin to say anything, I gave him a sly, mocking smirk. "Bye," I chirped, and then I tipped his hat on my head, gave him a salute, and took off in the air in a flash of pink.

Not long afterward, I saw a burning streak of red behind my pink one. Picking up velocity, I smiled to myself. I'd known he would fall for it.

Quickly deciding that a nearby construction site was perfect, I stalled in-between two metal pillars being suspended in the air by two giant cranes. I turned in Brick's direction and waved the red cap back and forth in the air.

I focused at the fiery, crackling ball of red coming towards me, and somewhere in it, I saw the fiercest, darkest scowl I had ever seen in my entire life. My smirk fell.

I'd made Brick angry plenty times before, but this was like nothing I'd seen. My resolve began to waver. Sure, a good fight was what I thought I needed, but had I been prepared for _this?_

I began to float backward, backing up, but sooner than a blink, he was nearly feet away from me. I took off again, even faster this time. I felt Brick right on my tail, his presence and anger sending heat waves toward me, the heat licking at my feet.

I weaved in-between metal pillars and over walls of tin, hoping to lose him in the forest of metal, to no avail. He just crashed through them and tossed them out of the way, as if they were made of paper or styrofoam.

I'd already been fully aware of Brick's strength, but it had been a while that I'd seen his strength combined with his reckless temper. I'd forgotten how dangerous he was when it did happen. As he flung himself through the air towards me, spewing out curse words and roars of, "I'm going to rip you apart", I mentally made a note to _never_ do this again. And to fly faster.

Especially considering that I knew that when Brick said things like 'I'm going to rip you apart', he usually meant them, and I knew he did. I'd witnessed him and his brothers rip a man apart all while flinging his child off of the edge of a building, without even blinking an eye.

Bloodthirsty. Merciless. Black-hearted. He was all of these things.

Dodging scorching beams of heat from his eyes, I landed on the ground, looking for something to throw, duck behind, _something_. He crashed to the ground too, and the force of his feet smashing into the concrete made the hard ground give way, scattering long cracks around his feet. I jumped and began to sprint over to the nearest construction machine, a medium sized bulldozer. I kept glancing at him over my shoulder, and he didn't look any less venomous.

"Might as well stop where you're at, little bitch. Running can't help you now." Brick howled at me, dark-faced, and then he gave a slow, sinister curl of his lips. "Nothing can help you now."

I hissed and whirled back around, speeding to the bulldozer. I took hold of the bottom edge of the machine with both hands, and lifting with my legs, I lifted it up and over high above my head.

"I wouldn't count on that." I said, allowing a quick smirk to appear on my face. And with that, I chucked the giant constructing machine in his direction.

Unfortunately for me, he ducked and yanked the truck up before it crashed to the ground. As he leaned back, preparing to hurl the truck right back at me, I shot up straight into the air. He threw, and the machine sped at me.

As it came into my proximity, I snatched it between my hands, spun in a circle to get momentum, and with great force, flung the bulldozer back at Brick. It flew at him even faster, and he barely had enough time to lurch out of the way. The machine crashed to the ground, metal crushing against metal, and the shattering sound of the breaking windshield echoed off of the surrounding iron pillars. Dust rose into the air.

I flew back down to the ground, and when my feet touched the uneven ground, I stumbled a little. I didn't give it a second thought, since there was bound to be all kinds of rubble on the ground of a construction site. Nothing unusual.

Then, I charged directly at Brick, who was standing near the destroyed bulldozer, looking a little dazed. As soon as he saw me coming, though, his face turned dark again. My fists swung at him unrelentingly, and he swung his fists at me too, his speed and accuracy mirroring mine perfectly. Too perfectly. When I swung, he blocked, when he swung, I blocked, like a screwed up, hero-villain version of the waltz.

I decided to end our dance, and as abruptly as I could, I brought my right leg into the air and crushed the thick sole of my shoe into his face. There was a squish, a disconcerting popping sound, and then he fell to the ground.

I expected him to pop back up, growl at me and kick me back just as hard—though hopefully not in the face, because picture day was tomorrow—but I never expected what happened next to happen.

At first, he paused on the ground, his face turned away. Then, silently, he brought his hands up to his face. Completely silent.

Something was up. I stared at him, frowning. I wasn't sure what to think, or how to react. Was he giving up? Could I leave, then?

After another few moments of silence, I took that as surrender, and just as I was turning to leave, I thought something red caught my eye. No, it wasn't his hair or his eyes. It was hard to see, because it was almost twilight, and everything was in tints of blue.

Even though his palms were clamped over his right eye, there was something escaping through his fingers and down his arms. Suddenly, it dawned on me. The red was thick, and it smelled like salt and rust. It was blood.

_Blood._

I gawked at him in horror. My thoughts scattered in a thousand different directions. All I'd done was kick him in the face, but that's not what it looked like. It looked like I'd taken a dagger, and—

I brought my right shoe up to see what could've done it, and I froze cold. Wedged deep in the thick sole of my shoe was a sharp shard of metal about four inches long. It had blood all over the sharp edge.

Our kind hardly ever bled. It did happen, but it was decidedly rare. The Chemical X usually clogged up shallow wounds fast enough that blood didn't even have time to leak out. This wound must have been too deep to clog up. This hadn't happened before. Especially not with this much blood.

Stunned, I looked back at Brick, whom had brought his bloody hands down from his face to stare at them. Now that I could see the newly-made wound, I choked. The skin across his right eyebrow was split open clear to the bone of his brow. Blood continued to flow down his face and into his eye.

When he heard my gasp, his eyes switched to me. His blank look had slowly turned to pure fury, and a light of hysteria shone in his bright eyes. His hands trembled as he spoke.

" _You_ ," His voice was uneven." _You_ did this to me."

I took a step towards him, dumbly. My mouth opened and closed, like I wanted to talk, but I didn't say anything. I honestly didn't know what to say. What was I supposed to do, comfort him? I didn't want to go anywhere near him.

But at the same time, seeing him losing so much blood, seeing him staring at his own blood like he didn't recognize it, it made me more nervous than it should have.

He started to back away from me, in no particular direction. "You...did this…you—you're…" He wasn't even making sense.

I was getting antsy, and I knew I had to say something, so I finally spoke up. "Brick..."

But he kept going. "Y-you…I'm—" He cut off suddenly, and started swiping the clean part of his arms at his bleeding face. Instead of cleaning it off, the movement just smeared it around more.

I grit my teeth together. He was being ridiculous. I stomped up to him. "Just…let me do it."

And before I realized what I was doing, I was taking the red bow from my hair. As the bow slid out, my thigh-length hair fell from its ponytail, red stands blowing freely with the wind. The wind blew some chunks in my face, but I hardly noticed.

I started to bring the silky ribbon towards his face, but he jerked away.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked me, in a clearer, more guarded voice than before. He was still shaking.

I frowned at him. "Just shut up," I said. I had no idea what I was doing either. I hated Brick. I shouldn't have even cared if he was hurting or not, in fact, I should've taken great joy in it. I always did. At least, I used to.

I ran the silky material over the bloody side of his face, being careful not to press too hard. When he tried to jerk away again, I grabbed his shoulder to hold him in place. He stared at me incredulously, looking slightly disturbed. Although he looked as if he was going to run away from me, strangely, he stayed.

For a few moments, he just stood there silently while I wiped his wound. But then I paused. I wondered again why I was doing this. Still, something told me to keep aiding his wound, and for some reason I couldn't stop.

Abruptly, I was ripped from my thoughts when Brick shoved my hand off his shoulder and moved away. Surprised, I was about to say something, but before I could, he snatched my beloved ribbon from my hand.

Such a sudden change in pace disoriented me a little, and I blurted a few seconds too late, "H- _Hey_! Give it back!" I made a desperate grab for it, but he jerked it back further.

Grabbing his hat from the ground, he sneered and said, "You will pay for this," as if the past three minutes hadn't happened. He pointed to his bloody wound. "I _swear_."

I felt dread rising in my stomach at his words. He sped away, drops of blood still falling. One of them landed on my arm, and I stared at the red liquid in horror. It was still warm from being in his body. I quickly swiped at it with the back of my hand, breathing unsteady.

I stared at the new red stain on the back of my hand.

I had never seen that look of pain on his face before. I knew I shouldn't have, but I felt…guilty? Why? Gulping, I looked up to the sky. I knew that he was already far away by now, but I had to say it out loud, even if only to myself.

I reached up to run my fingers through my ribbon-less hair as I said, "I'm sorry."

**-End Flashback-**

I never did forget that day, and I could still feel the warmth of Brick's blood on me. Of course I couldn't forget.

There was still silence between us, and surprisingly, it didn't feel strange. And it felt like he was as okay with it as I was. I looked at the red Rowdyruff again.

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going, or what? Do I have to play the guessing game, here?"

He chuckled at my impatience, and then shook his head. "You'll see."

He stared ahead at wherever we were headed, and I stared at him. The leader part of my mind told me to let go of his hand and go back, that everything was a trick of his and that I was wasting my time and his by taking this any further, but my conscience spoke up.

 _'Blossom, for God's sake, stop worrying for at least an hour. Please.'_ My conscience paused for a moment. _'He's different. You know this and I know this. And I know you've noticed. Something in him has changed.'_

I outwardly raised my eyebrows and pressed my lips together, but 'she' continued.

_'Just go with him and trust him for tonight, at least. Please. Just tonight.'_

I stared out at the dark sky.

No matter what the reason may be, if I were to trust him, there would be grave consequences. I'd sworn from the first moment that I saw him that he would be my enemy forever. He stole, he killed, and who he was, was everything that I was against.

We were polar opposites, hero and villain. But we were also the same in ways I'd never even considered before. And even though I'd known him for almost my whole life, there were sides of him that he'd already shown me tonight that I'd never seen glimpses of before, ever. I'd never known all these different things about him.

And maybe I could know more.

And so, I didn't turn back. I stayed with him. And we kept flying to wherever we were going, silent.


	7. Some Changes Are Meant to Happen

**Chapter Seven**

**-Back to Bubbles' POV-**

"Oh, look at that one, Boomer!" I exclaimed, my outstretched finger pointing at one of the numerous stars in the sky.

"Wow," he replied. "That one's big."

I rested my hand on his muscular chest again, and a giggle bubbled out of me. "I know," I paused to yawn. "That one's my new favorite."

For about fifteen minutes we had been naming our favorite stars in the sky, laying down on the flat rooftop. I burrowed my forehead deeper into the crook of his neck and let out a content sigh.

I was normally always very happy, but never before had I felt a happiness like this. This was... bliss. Pure joy. But then I didn't know the real word for this incandescent happiness. All I knew was I wanted to stay on that rooftop with Boomer for as long as I could. But I knew that this night would end faster than I wanted it to.

"Bubbles, look!" Boomer said suddenly. "A shooting star."

I sat up quickly, my eyes scanning the sky. "No way. You're joking right?" There was no way our luck was that good.

"I swear. Look, right there!"

My eyes snapped up to the sky again, and I saw it. A silver stream shot across the sky, and it seemed to leave a sparkling trail behind it, like pixie dust or something. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined. I had never seen a shooting star before, and what were the odds that I'd see one for the first time with him? It was better than any dream.

I laid back down and rested my head on his chest again. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"What are you doing?" Boomer asked with a laugh. His warm breath fanned over me.

"I'm making a wish!" I whispered, a grin twisting my lips. I thought hard and thoroughly for a few moments. What to wish for, what to wish for? I'd been waiting practically my whole life to wish on a shooting star, and now that I'd seen one, I had no idea what to wish for.

Then, I knew.

_I wish Boomer and I could be together for as long as we're able._

And with every part of my heart, I wished it would come true.

Opening my eyes again, I looked up to find him already staring at me. My cheeks flooded. Why was he staring at me so much? It made me self conscious.

"So," He was the first one to speak, smiling down at me. "What did you wish for, princess?"

I wrinkled my nose at him as I smiled at him.

"I can't tell you, or else it won't come true." I teased with a giggle. It felt so cliché to say that, but it had to be said. He laughed too, reaching his hand over to stroke my hair.

"Alright, if you say so." And with that, he turned his head to gently kiss the top of my head. I sighed silently this time, and I scooted myself even closer to him. I still couldn't believe this was really Boomer JoJo holding me in his arms. A part of me still wondered if he had a fever that was causing him to act like this, but I didn't want to deny it.

I longed to believe it was real.

Though it was as real as life itself, something told me it wasn't going to last long.

And I hoped that something was wrong.

* * *

**-Boomer's POV-**

I gave the blond girl lying on me a look of confusion.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a laugh, shaking my head.

"I'm making a wish!" she whispered with a grin. I smiled down at her, even though her eyes were closed. Then, my smile fading, I studied her. Every thought raced across her delicate face, her nose scrunched up slightly. She pursed her lips together, and her cheeks and nose were rosy because of the chilly spring air.

She was beautiful. No, not more than beautiful. She was amazing.

I couldn't believe I had this amazing girl in my arms. But how could I help it? I just couldn't. I loved this girl so much, no words could explain it. For six years, I kept it in, hiding it, trying to deny it. Eventually, I might have gone insane for keeping the secret for so long. And right now, this was so worth it.

But I knew this couldn't last.

Bubbles opened her bright eyes once more, and upon the sight of them, my heart beat faster. I wasn't aware I was still staring at her until a red flush spread across her cheeks.

I swallowed thickly. "So, what did you wish for, princess?" A grin appeared on my face again as I watched her reaction.

She smiled a cheeky smile and her nose wrinkled."I can't tell you, or else it won't come true!" She replied, giggling once more. Her laughter made my stomach stir, my need to touch her rising again. I gave in, laughing along with her. I reached my hand over to stroke her soft hair.

"Alright," I replied, my laughter fading. "If you say so."

My yearning to kiss her came again, and I softly kissed the top of her head. I savored her sweet, feminine scent as the girl in my arms sighed.

I wanted this to last. My God, with every bone in my body I wanted this to last. I wanted it so bad. But I couldn't have her like I wanted her.

I didn't just want her for myself, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I loved her so much, but the world would never accept that. Worldwide, the Powerpuff Girls were known for saving the world from evil. Villains, obviously, were the cause of that evil. If one of them were to _marry_ a villain...I could only imagine how much everyone would hate them.

I knew that I was supposed to hate her with all that I have, and I knew I was created to kill her. That was the purpose of my creation. But even creation rebels against its creator.

When I was young, my purpose made complete sense. Mojo's simple instruction in the first few moments of our birth was easy. 'Destroy the Powerpuff Girls.' My simple, vastly immature mind had one mindset, and one only; destroy. But I began growing. I matured. I learned.

And I realized that I didn't want that to be the only reason for my existence.

Because when I looked at it, I felt replaceable. Like I was just a tool that Mojo -and later, Him- used to complete their dreams of destruction. What would they do with my brothers and I if we succeeded in destroying them? Would they kick us to the street? Destroy us themselves? I didn't want to be replaceable.

So I didn't want to kill her anymore.

And with that want gone with age, something else began to take its place.

With that something else taking its place, I realized the consequences of that side as well. I realized that even if I didn't _physically_ kill her, that if I were to marry her, people in her life would disown her and look down upon her. Her spirit is so kind and sensitive, and all of that would slowly kill her inside. Nothing she could do would make her deserve that. Ever.

Her family would hate her, and that would destroy her. I could tell that she loved her family so much, and I could never forgive myself if I were the one who took them from her. She most likely wouldn't have any friends either. I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

A superhero with a villain was a taboo, unheard of. The world wasn't ready for it.

Besides, I didn't deserve Bubbles. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure that one out.

Before I fell in love with her, I was malicious alongside my brothers. Dangerous didn't even begin to cover it. I had killed people before. My brothers and I had the capability to destroy whole cites. I hated almost everything. I hated people who did good. I hated women. I hated happiness. Most of all, I hated anything that had to do with love.

But when I finally fell for Bubbles, the girl of whom I was created to hate the most, it turned my whole world upside down. She changed me.

Even my brothers noticed when I would hesitate to steal, or do something similar. They would ask what was wrong with me, but I always made excuses. I never said what was really wrong. What was wrong was that I was madly in love with my sworn enemy.

Even now, when she was lying in my arms, she didn't love me. I didn't see why she would anyway. She had no earthly reason to. And even if she did, I didn't deserve her love. I didn't deserve to be loved by anyone, considering the things I had done in the past.

My thoughts were interrupted by my angel's voice.

"Boomer," she whispered in a small voice, leaning up so her lips brushed my cheek. I assumed that this action was completely by accident, but it still drove me crazy. My breath hitched at the sensation, and in return I stroked her hair again.

"Yeah, sweetie?" I replied, only to discover that my voice was hoarse. I cleared my throat, glancing away for a moment in slight embarrassment. She smiled in a way that told me she was holding back a laugh, and then she bit her bottom lip. Finally, she sat up.

"I think..." She hesitated and fiddled one of her pigtails nervously. Her eyes were glued to the ends of her hair. "I think I might love you too."

My throat tightened and my heat beat faster. No, it wasn't true. It couldn't be true.

She continued, stammering and breathing unevenly the entire time. "I forgot...to tell you earlier, but-"

I interrupted her by my sudden embrace.

She didn't need to say anymore. Those few words were enough. They were enough to overwhelm me with a joy I didn't think I was capable of.

My arms wrapped around her firmly, as if she was going to be taken from me. Though in a way, she was.

And I dreaded what was going to happen next.

* * *

**-Back to Buttercups' POV-**

We sat in silence on the floor, leaning against the wall.

The voices and the loud music were merely background noise. It had been quiet between us for a while now, but we were hand in hand, so surprisingly, it didn't feel that awkward. It still felt weird, that is, Butch's new attitude toward me.

But I think I really liked it.

Out of all the guys I was with, none of them had been like this. First, there had been Mitch Mitchelson in Middle School. It was one of those, 'Will you be my girlfriend?' 'Yes!' instances.

Since we had known each other for so long, eventually we started liking each other. Like, not love. It only lasted a month, and it was probably the worst month of my life. Out of all the romance shit I had seen from movies, he didn't do any of it. We never even hugged. Not once. He just treated me like he had before, like one of the guys.

So, after that long, grueling, torturous month, that was it for me. I couldn't believe I wasted an entire month of my life with him. I told him off, flipped him off, then never talked to him again. To that day, we still hadn't talked. I kinda missed us being friends, but it was too late anyway. The damage was done. Besides, a year back, Mitch moved to Citiesville.

Then after that, there was a guy named Nick. I met him about 3 months after breaking up with Mitch.

**-Flashback, 3 years ago-**

"There it is!" I murmured in reverence to myself, eying the shelf a few feet away.

I was in my favorite CD store, and I had been looking all over town for my favorite bands' new CD. Everywhere else it was sold out, and I absolutely had to have it. _Today._

Sprinting full speed over to the highly coveted CD, I reached out my hand. Just as I was nearly inches away, my beloved CD disappeared in front of my eyes.

I stared at the now empty shelf space, frozen in shock. Suddenly, rage took over me. I whirled around to face the stranger that stole practically part of my entire being, ready to kick some ass. But, as soon as I saw the stranger's face, I froze again.

This stranger was a guy, and a really hot one at that. He was tall, had fiery red hair in a mile-high Mohawk and enticing gray eyes. He also had snakebite piercings gracing his smirking lips. As soon as I realized he was smirking at _me_ , I cleared my throat and looked away abruptly. After my dignity was back, I glared over at the boy again, remembering my anger.

"What are you looking at, red?" I snapped, my lips curled in a snarl. "Who do you think you are, anyway? Besides, I _believe_ that is _my_ CD!" I reached up to snatch back my beloved CD from between his hands. Without warning, it jerked from my reach again.

"The name's Nick," He replied with the same tone I had. "And actually, I believe this is _my_ CD."

I scoffed at him.

"Nick, eh?" I paused, making a jump for the part of my soul that he held high above my head. "Well, Nick, you're a jackass if you think this is yours, because it's _mine_ _!_ "

He laughed scornfully at me.

"Oh, am I now?" He shook his head slowly as he watched me jump up and down. "Are you willing to bet on that, shorty?"

For his sake, I pretended not to hear the 'shorty' comment. I jumped between each word. "Yes. Actually. I. Am."

"Oh, really?" he paused. "Okay. First person to buy this CD wins. If I win...I get a date and your number."

I actually stopped jumping at that comment. I raised my eyebrows at him, receiving a shrug back. I thought about it for a moment. All I would have to do is get it from him. And who was the superhero here? This would be a cakewalk.

"Alright, then." I said, challenge in my eyes. "Prepare to lose."

My jaw was dropped so far, I swear it was touching the floor. Nick just smirked at me from the cash register. With _my_ CD.

'How the hell did I lose to him!?' I thought shamefully. 'How did this happen?'

Before I knew it, Nick stood in front of me, bag in hand. His smirk had somehow grown.

I just sighed, grabbed a pen from my messenger bag and wrote my number on his hand. When I finished, he winked at me.

"Call you later," He paused in the door, locking his eyes with mine. He let another second pass before he finished. "Buttercup." And he was gone.

When I realized I was standing there watching the empty door, I turned around again to look at the empty self space. I huffed, my cheeks red.

"...whatever."

**-End Flashback-**

Believe it or not, though, we were together for a year and a half.

It was great, believe me, but even for a whole year and a half, it was moving too fast. He would always talk about marriage, and how he had 'never felt this way before'. Truthfully, it scared me. I didn't feel the same way, and we were too young to get married anytime soon.

That was another thing that scared me, the talk of marriage in general. The thought of being tied down to someone until the day you die terrified me. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't lead him on any longer. So, I ended it.

He took it pretty bad. First, he was in a state of denial, treating me as if we were still together. I ignored him. After that, he got extremely depressed. He would call me at least 4 times a day, day and night, just to tell me how much he 'needed me' and 'wanted me back'. I ignored him then, too. Then, finally, he gave up.

Part of me was relieved, but I also missed the attention.

But, it couldn't be helped anyway. Since then, I had always wondered if there was any future for me in relationships. If the thought of commitment scared me, there would be so much more that would too.

But, when Butch told me he had fallen for me, suddenly, I had no idea who I was. I didn't know where I was, or what I was doing. All I could feel was the gurgling in my stomach, the heat building in my face, the tingling on my lips. I had never felt any of it before. Most of all, out of everything around me, all I could see was him. Nobody distracted me like he did, and that jarring weakness I felt was unlike anything I'd ever been through.

I shifted my shoulders and leaned over to rest my head on his broad shoulder. I felt him move his face so his chin was on top of my head, and his warm breath teased my hair. I let out a small, silent sigh, which was uncharacteristic of me too.

'But its okay,' I thought to myself, smiling slightly, but turning my face so that he couldn't see it. 'Because I think this might be something serious.'

* * *

**-Back to Blossoms' POV-**

Apprehension filled me as we landed, and as my feet touched the ground, my chest tightened.

No.

I shook my head.

Oh God, no.

I looked over at Brick, whom had his back to me and his hands in his pockets.

There was no way.

Sure, Brick had never told me where we were going. I figured it would be a surprise.

But I didn't think we would go to the _exact_ _same_ abandoned construction site where I gave Brick that scar seven years ago.

Suddenly, Brick spoke up, his back still to me. "Do you recognize this place, Blossom?"

I pretended not to.

"Um, not...really." I gulped audibly. "Am I supposed to?"

 _'Stay calm, Blossom.'_ My conscience cooed. _'Stay calm.'_

Easier said than done, because at the moment it was getting really hard for me to be calm.

"Well, I'd certainly think you would remember it." His voice had deepened a bit somehow, and it scared me. Not just because it was deeper, but also because there was a new tone to it. For once, I couldn't seen the emotion behind it, and that absolutely terrified me.

Then, Brick turned around. I could barely see his face in the dark, but I braced myself. He took a few steps towards me. Part of me tried to pull me toward him, but my legs were itching to run for my life.

Now, he was only a foot and a half away from me. He was facing me, but I still could hardly see his face. I waited for him to do anything else. When he lifted his right hand, I twitched and my muscles tensed. To my surprise, though, he brought his hand up to his own face. He put it up to his forehead and moved some of his hair from in front of his right eye, revealing it...and revealing the scar.

His brow was brow was furrowed, and the moonlight reflected off of the mark.

"...Does this ring a bell for you, Bloss?"

I froze, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from that scar. His voice had become a lot clearer to me than before, and I heard that same old tone in his voice I had heard for years.

Anger.

Suddenly, my composure fell.

'Oh, God...' My thoughts seemed to echo. He _had_ said he was going to make me pay for it...but I thought he would be over that by now. 'Make me pay for it...' my thoughts trailed off, then a new one came to me.

He was going to kill me.

It made perfect sense. He was being the honeypot, just like his brothers probably were. His plan was to seduce me, isolate me from my sisters, get me to someplace where no one could find us...then kill me for revenge. Same for my sisters, too. It was the perfect plan.

Why hadn't I seen it coming? I should have seen it.

I had to get away. I couldn't let him.

Just as tears of terror tumbled down my face, I took off. I ran away as fast as I could, without once looking behind me.

I could feel his footsteps far off behind me, but I soon heard them catching up. I forced myself to crane my neck to glance quickly, and seeing him, I let out a shriek. He was now a mere 6 feet behind me, and climbing speed. I heard his voice loud and clear.

"Blossom! Blossom, why are you running from me?"

The sound I made was somewhere between a scoff and a whimper. "I...I know...what...what you're doing!" My voice shook with fear, and I couldn't stop panting.

Why was I afraid? Why was I so surprised? Why was I running?

I should have known he was up to this. This should have been no surprise at all.

Was it because I had let my guard down, even for a few hours? Was it because I let myself trust him, even for a little while?

And even so, why wasn't I fighting him?

"...What?" His voice seemed innocent. I knew better. "Blossom, what are you talking about?"

My feet began to sting in my high heeled boots from the harsh friction and the cold temperature, so I lifted from the ground and flew. I looked behind me and saw him do the same.

"Don't act like you're innocent!" I shouted back at him, and for a moment I realized that I sounded a bit crazy.

"What? ...Blossom, please listen to me! Just stop for a second, please."

I glared back at him. "Oh, I'm sure you would like that, wouldn't you?" I continued to watch as confusion danced across his face. Then, sudden fear as he looked past me.

He gasped sharply. "Hey, watch out!"

My eyebrows shot up further, and by the time I turned my head to look to see what was in front of me, it was _painfully_ too late. My whole body was smashed against a metal anvil before I had time to gasp.

And before I even had time to comprehend was had happened, I blacked out.

When I became conscious again, I kept my eyes squeezed closed.

For a few minutes, I actually thought I was in my bed. My nice, soft, pink fluffy comforter...the thought of it made me stretch out my arms and yawn. Then, I sensed something else. My head...was hurting? Hmm, yes. It hurt alot. It was throbbing.

Son of a _bitch_. Why did my head hurt so badly?

Mid-sigh, realization dawned on me.

My eyes snapped open, only to be looking into the face of the red Rowdyruff boy.

I had forgotten I was with him. I couldn't remember the reason, though. My head throbbing once more, I groaned, closed my eyes and grabbed my forehead. I opened one eye partially, and looked at him. "What happened?"

Brick leaned over me, and his face was more visible now. He smiled slightly and cupped the side of my face with his left hand.

"You knocked yourself out when you flew into that." He said in a gentle voice, pointing at the anvil I had run into. I turned my eyes to it and they widened as soon as I saw it. The oval dent in it had to be nearly two feet deep. I groaned even louder, closing my eyes again, and he chuckled.

"I know," he agreed, running his fingers through his hair. His smile faded quickly. "And it scared the hell out of me, baby."

My heartbeat quickened at the way his voice sounded as he said this, and only then had I become aware that I was in his lap. My face heated.

Then, I remembered everything. I remembered where we were. I remembered me running from him.

I remembered that he was going to kill me.

I gasped deeply and tried to sit up, prying his hand off of my face.

"What, what's wrong?" His face was startled, and his tone was full of worry.

"Oh, crap!" I said as loud as I could manage. My head swirled as I yanked myself off of him and scooted a few feet away. "You...you're trying to kill me!"

His expression could only be described as nonrecognition.

"Blossom...what the hell are you talking about?"

My tone was accusatory. "You _know_ what I'm talking about!"

"But, why would I do that?"

"Why? Why would you do that?" I was really beginning to feel insane here. He acted like I was for saying such a thing. Was it really so crazy to be suspicious? "First off, you're a Rowdyruff boy, second of all, to get revenge for your scar...you can't be telling me that this isn't why we're here!"

After I said this, he looked at me for a few seconds. He seemed to be questioning my sanity. Then, after a few more short, silent seconds, he burst out laughing. The frown I had on my face deepened, and I watched him shake his head slowly and wipe his eyes as his laughter subsided.

"What? Is that funny to you?" I asked in disbelief. Had I really gone crazy? Brick shook his head again.

"No! Shit, no." He paused to chuckle a few times more. "Man. That's what you thought I was doing?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He reached his arms out, willing me to crawl to him again. I stared at his arms cautiously, waiting for lighting bolts to shoot out at me or something. He noticed my hesitation and gave me an exasperated look. Sighing when he waved me toward him, I slowly crawled toward him again. He didn't wait for me to climb onto him myself, probably because he knew I wouldn't, so he gently pulled me into his lap himself. He wrapped one arm around my waist, and with his other hand, he dug into his pockets, searching for something. His face lit up when he found it, then he started to pull it out. When it was all the way out, my eyes widened in quiet recognition. In his hand was...a red ribbon?

Slowly, my lips twisted into a soft smile. "Is that what I think it is, Brick?"

He returned the smile. "Maybe," he teased, then his smile started to fade. "This is the ribbon I took from you 7 years ago."

My mouth parted in surprise. He had kept it that entire time?

"No! Seriously?" I looked up at his face again. Until then, I hadn't noticed how incredibly _close_ we were. I had to lean back slightly so our noses wouldn't brush.

He seemed to notice my casual maneuver as he nodded back, his expression showing slight embarrassment.

"Why did you keep it this whole time?"

All signs of embarrassment were abruptly wiped off of his face. He looked at the ribbon, then at me. His face had softened, the usual edge of intimidation gone, and his eyes locked into mine. All kinds of emotion brimmed his flaming eyes, ones that I never though him capable of. There was many, but one stood out to me the most.

Desire.

Without warning, Brick brought both hands to the sides of my face and leaned closer to me. When our lips were a mere inch apart, he whispered, "You don't even know."

He captured my lips with his in a tender and alluring kiss. Though, kiss hardly seemed like the right word for it. His lips melted against mine, and a tremor ran through me. My mind was long forgotten again. The air in my lungs whooshed out of me, and suddenly I felt sensations that I'd never began to think I could feel. Goosebumps rose on my skin.

I slowly brought my hands up to his strong shoulders, and I squeezed the muscles greedily. He grunted his satisfaction, then broke the kiss reluctantly. I kept my eyes closed, willing him to bring his lips to mine again, but I felt him trail his lips up to my forehead. He pressed a few gentle kisses there, then pressed another on the bridge of my nose. I opened my eyes a few moments later, and at first found it hard to focus. My heart was beating so fast, and everything around us seemed to blur into the background. My pounding head was numb to me now.

He looked down at his hands, and for the first time, his face was unsure. He smoothed the ribbon between his fingers. Then, he glanced at me again, though not completely meeting my eyes.

"You know," he paused, looked at the red piece of fabric again. "Every time I look at this...it reminds me of how I fell in love with you."

The moment 'love with you' left his lips, my heart nearly jumped into my throat. I couldn't breathe for a few seconds, and when I started to get dizzy from the lack of oxygen, I gasped in a few breaths. Then, I finally managed to say something.

"...Love?" Really, that was all I _could_ say.

He looked at up at me again, an intense and brooding determination in his eyes. "You heard me, Blossom. I love you."

I was completely frozen. My breathing stopped again.

"I know...at one point, I didn't feel for you like I feel now. I'm not supposed to feel this way about you, baby. I don't know how, but...something changed in me. There would be times I would order my bros to come with me to rob a bank or something, just so I could see you. Yeah, awful, I know. And I hated hurting you. But I couldn't help it. I just had to see you."

Without looking me in the eye, he took one of my hands in his, lacing his fingers between mine.

"So when you tried to stop my cut from bleeding with your ribbon -your most prized possession- that did it for me. I think that was when I realized that something was different. And now I'm completely sure. I can't keep this from you anymore." He brought his hand up to his mouth, kissing each knuckle tenderly. When he finished, I cupped his chin and tilted his head towards mine so I could look into his eyes. There was so much vivid want and need in them that it overpowered my resolve at first. Then I smiled at him. Genuinely. Softly. Kindly. One thing I never thought I'd let him see, let alone direct towards him.

"Brick," I paused, his name sounded foreign in the gentle tone I used. "I never thought I'd hear you say that."

Then I lifted my mouth to his again as the moonlight shone brightly down on us. Tears rolled down my cheeks. This time, though, they were tears of pure elation.

They were also the kind of tears you cry when you're in love.


	8. Turmoil

**Chapter Eight**

**-Blossom's POV-**

We glided leisurely through the dark, sparkling night sky, hand in hand.

This time, however, it wasn't just some meaningless and convenient way to stay together. It meant more. The immense symbolization behind that little physical gesture was still intimidating to me, still felt strange and wrong. It would probably take me a while to get used to acting this way around him, but it was okay. I had plenty of time to figure all of this out.

As we drew nearer and nearer to Electric Blue again, I noticed that Boomer and Bubbles weren't on the rooftop anymore. My eyebrows drew together in concern, and I gazed up at the moon for a few moments. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to keep track of the time. How long had Brick and I been at the construction site?

"Brick," I paused, waiting for his response.

"Bloss," He replied in the same tone, his voice unbelievably smooth and pleasant. I couldn't stop the chill that ran down my spine at the sound of it.

"What time is it?" I continued a few beats late, and I glanced at the city around us. I looked down at the streets below, and surprisingly, there weren't that many cars driving, even for a Saturday night.

"Um," He paused, taking his red Sidekick out from his back pocket. I eyed the expensive phone, and for a few seconds I wasn't able to shake the suspicion I felt. I doubted that phone was a gift. He squinted at the screen for a split second, then he put it back. "Three thirty. Why?"

I inhaled so fast, I swore for a moment that I was choking on my tongue.

"In the morning!?" I exclaimed, gawking at him. He chuckled condescendingly.

"No, Bloss, in the afternoon." He chuckled louder when I gave him a look. "Why, do you have a curfew or something?"

I threw my head back as I let out a humorless laugh.

"I was supposed to be home two hours ago! My sisters are probably home by now. God, Professor's going to kill me." I paused and my laughter stopped abruptly when I noticed that his eyebrows were raised at me. "You don't have one?" I guessed.

Brick smiled a casual, lop-sided smile.

"Naw. Mojo doesn't care where we go or how long we're there." he paused, looking up to nowhere in particular. "I would be surprised if he cares about us at all." His smile faded, and for a few short moments, he looked distant. I watched his expression as my thoughts captured me again.

I thought about how much Professor loved us and cared about us. I really couldn't imagine life without him and his love.

To live your whole life without someone older to look up to for support and unconditional love...I just couldn't picture how lonely he must have been.

His eyes clouded over as he gazed at the sky, then finally, I understood a little more why he felt so strongly for me. He really had no one else besides his brothers, and his brothers were hardly there for him anyway. All his brothers knew to do with him was to cause pain to others and fight with each other. He never had chance for a healthy family life. He never had people he could confide in and be close to.

If we were to pursue this any further, I would basically be all that he had.

I glanced downward guiltily, then back up at him. I squeezed his hand, silently letting him know that I was there for him. And it was true, right now. Right now, I didn't want to be anywhere else but with him. And maybe, in the future, I could be there for him for a long time.

The thought of forever scared me, and I mentally shrugged away from it.

No, forever didn't matter. I didn't have to think about forever yet. What mattered was what we had right now, and we'd see about the future when it came.

He turned his eyes to mine and squeezed my hand back, and in a way, it felt like he got my message. He smiled warily, and then to my surprise, continued our conversation.

"One o'clock? Wow. You're such a goody-goody."

I laughed at his use of the word, making it sound so disgusting. "And you're a badass." I scrunched up my nose at my use of this word. I tried not to curse most of the time, mostly because I found that cursing is for the crass uneducated. But, being around Buttercup, it wasn't uncommon to have one slip out every now and then.

He eyed me, in what looked like half mock-surprise and half real surprise. "Did you just-"

"Damn right, I did." I interrupted, scrunching my nose again.

Brick laughed his masculine, contagious laugh, and I joined him. It was the first time I heard his true, genuine laugh while he laughed _with me_. It surprised me to hear how good our laughter sounded together.

He shook his head and sighed as his laughter subsided. "I am _so_ glad you're mine."

My heart lurched, and my face flooded again. When was I going to get used to him saying things like that? Throwing me off guard, making my face flush a vibrant red. At this rate, I possibly never would.

My conscience spoke up for the first time in a while. _'You_ are _his.'_

His, and no one else's. Shouldn't that have given me reassurance? It should have.

But I couldn't completely believe it yet.

We quietly landed about three houses down from mine, taking extra care to be quiet.

We still held hands, and I gripped his nervously. I didn't know the odds of any of my neighbors still being awake at that hour, but I didn't want to take any chances. I didn't want to think of what would happen if anyone saw us together. Not only were we together, but we were together and not beating the crap out of each other. Something told me the public would not react well to that.

"Do you want me to walk you there, baby?" Brick took my other hand in his. Even though something like this was completely and utterly cliché for a boy to say that to a girl, in my clouded mind, I found it adorable. I nearly sighed at the crooked, awkward smile one his face, his adorable tone and his unnecessary protectiveness he had over me, but I couldn't let him do it.

"Brick, do you know what my sisters would do to me _and_ you if they saw us together like this?"

He winced and raised his eyebrows. "I...have an idea."

I sighed and smiled a small smile.

"I'm sorry." I paused, stroking his strong hands with my thumbs. What I said next, I said it completely unaware that I was still speaking. "I lo..."

I stopped in my tracks, letting the end of my sentence fade into the night. Oh God, I did _not_ almost just say that. I stared at my white boots, hoping he didn't catch had I had almost said.

I hesitated for a moment, then made the impulse decision to glance up at him. Mistake.

His fiery eyes were wide, boring into mine as soon as I rose them. I looked away quickly, and my breath hitched. The awkward silence rung in my ears, and in attempt to change the subject, I spoke up again. Too bad I had no earthly idea what to say.

"Uhh, I mean, um..."

Thankfully, he interrupted my meaningless almost-rant. "Really?"

I swallowed, then I took a chance and looked him in the eye. He had the same exact look on his face that he had before he kissed me a few hours ago. I quickly looked away, my heart throbbing so hard against my ribcage, it was almost painful. I searched for words.

"...R-really...really what?" The laugh that came from my mouth was so nervous, it was almost hysterical sounding. "Ha ha...I don't know what you're talking about...Ha." I fiddled with my handbag as my embarrassment continued to grow more and more apparent.

How did I let my mouth run _again_?

I could not have sounded stupider in front of him. Why did I feel so awkward and dumb around him? Just as I was about to beat myself up for sounding so stupid, I felt a strong pair of hands on both sides of my face, forcing me to look him in the eye. The skin underneath his hands felt like it burned.

"Blossom," his voice was deep with amusement and curiosity. "...Do you love me?"

The bluntness of this move startled me, and it took me a few prolonged moments to realize what his question was.

I opened my mouth to reply to him, what my answer was, I had no clue, but someone else interrupted me before the mystery words could escape.

"Hey!" A voice rang out from the house we were standing in front of. "What are you kids doing on my lawn?"

I jumped at the sudden shout, taking Brick's hand in mine again. We bolted into the next yard over, but my neighbor wouldn't let it go.

"Who is that?" the voice shouted. "I'm calling the police if you kids don't leave!"

I rolled my eyes. If that guy knew who we really were, he wouldn't be saying that. I sighed.

"Brick, you have to go. We're gonna get caught!" I said in a hushed tone, grasping his strong shoulders. My hands couldn't even wrap around them all the way. I suddenly realized the difference of size between us was note able. He rubbed my forearms soothingly, and suddenly I felt much calmer.

He nodded quickly and kissed my forehead. "Yeah, I should go. Will you be okay?"

My face burned again at his touch. I nodded too, pausing for a moment. "When will I see you again?"

Reluctantly letting go of me, Brick walked backwards. For a moment, I could have swore that I saw his eyes cloud up with an unknown emotion, darken somehow, but then he smiled genuinely.

"Don't worry... you always will." His words were reassuring, but somehow, they still felt a bit hollow.

I smiled back at him, and then I watched him disappear into the dark night sky, a streak of transparent red trailing after him. I rubbed my arms at the sudden withdraw of body heat.

I bit my lip as I already felt the sting of emptiness, though not completely realizing why.

#

"Come on," I clenched my jaw in aggravation. "Open!"

I was outside of my bedroom, tugging at the edge of the window. I never locked my window, but somehow now it was locked.

" _Come o-_ "

My plea was cut off by a quiet yelp of pain as my white French tip snapped off of my thumbnail. I seethed through my teeth in pain and annoyance.

'Dammit,' I thought, squeezing my thumbnail. 'I guess I'll just have to use the front door.'

I proceeded to float downwards to the front door, peeking through the window on it. The lights were all off, so I assumed everybody was asleep.

I shrugged to myself and got out my house key from the bottom of my handbag. 'This should be cake,' I thought, twisting the key and opening the door. 'Since they're all asleep, all I have to do is fly up to my bedroom and-'

"Blossom Utonium, do you have any idea what time it is?"

Damn.

The living room light turned on. I froze, slowly turning around. There stood Professor, clad in robe, slippers, and his black reading glasses, not looking too happy at all. I smiled in a way that I hoped looked innocent. He just glared back at me.

I started to make an excuse. "Uh-"

"It is four o'clock in the morning, young lady." He interrupted, crossing his arms. My eyebrows shot up, my eyes darting the room to find a clock. When I found one, I winced. Unfortunately, he was right.

_4:09 am._

"I, uh-"

"And what time did I tell you to come home?"

"...Well-"

" _What time?_ " Professor asked even sterner this time, his brow furrowing further. I was taken aback at his tone. He had never been so upset with me before. Only Buttercup ever made him this mad.

"...One o'clock."

Professor sighed, as if hearing how late I was out loud made it worse. He rubbed his right temple, closing his eyes momentarily. Opening them again, he looked at me. For a second, he just stared, but then he suddenly gasped.

"What on earth happened to your head!?" He shouted this time, making me jump in surprise.

My head? I had momentarily forgot what was wrong with it. Then, after a second of thought, I felt the throbbing goose-egg on my forehead. How had I forgotten?

"Um...I uh..." I stammered, searching my mind for a story. I glanced around the room for something, anything, to give me an idea. My eyes found a picture Professor took of me and Bubbles floating above Buttercup when we were six. We were jokingly pulling on her hair, and Buttercup scowled. Suddenly, I realized...floating..flying! Perfect.

"...I was flying around carelessly on my way home, Professor," I started, folding my hands in front of myself to keep from fidgeting. I was never comfortable with lying, but it was either that or to tell him the truth. The truth? Not gonna happen.

"...And I had left a few minutes late, so I was rushing. I was so desperate to get home quickly, that I didn't realize where I was going. It also didn't help that it was so dark. I got confused and started flying the wrong way, and out of the blue, I flew into a telephone pole!" I paused for dramatic effect, and I watched as Professor's expression turned from skeptical and bored to that of a worried, concerned father. Aha, there was my Professor again.

"So, I guess I flew into it so fast that I knocked myself out, because next thing I knew, I was waking up on The Mayor's front lawn. I had no idea how long I had been out, so I hurried over here as fast as I could." I stopped again to give him my best feel-bad-for-me eyes. "I'm so sorry Professor."

He shook his head, "No, no Blossom, I'm sorry! I had no idea." He reached out to me, gingerly rubbing the giant, bruised bump. "I'm just glad you're alright. Something terrible could have happened."

I nodded, keeping up my pitiful, feel-sorry-for-me act. I felt like a huge brat, the teenage kind that cries and throws a huge tantrum to get what she wants. But better this than the truth that would just disappoint him.

"I know, Professor, I should have been more careful, and," Tears came. "I just didn't want to disappoint you." I could only imagine how disappointed he would be it he knew why I was _really_ late.

Professor's expression turned from concerned to just plain guilt. "Oh, no, honey! You would never disappoint me!" He exclaimed, scooping me into a fatherly bear hug.

I nodded again, sniffing. I could only imagine how much later the guilt would keep me awake later.

"You know what?" He broke the hug and rubbed the top of my head. "Why don't you head off to bed and get plenty of sleep, and first thing in the morning, I'll start on some remedies in the lab for your head, okay?"

I slowed down my sobs, sniffing. I nodded once more.

"Okay," I replied, my eyes still blurred with the fakest, fattest pity tears I'd ever produced. "Thank you, Professor."

"You're welcome. Now, go on to bed." He shooed me, and I turned to the stairs, slowly climbing them. When I reached the middle stair, I turned around again.

"Professor?"

He glanced up.

"I love you."

He smiled in return, and then I continued to climb the stairs. Now that my back was turned to him and he was out earshot, I finally stopped sniffing. I sighed.

' _Blossom, you do know that eventually that won't work, right?'_ My conscience snickered at me.

Not only did I know that it wouldn't work anymore, but I knew that the guilt would eventually eat me alive. It already made my stomach churn in discomfort.

No more, I told myself. Professor deserved the truth next time.

#

I woke up to a harsh, loud banging on my door, bright and early.

"Blossom!" Buttercups' booming voice was hardly muted by the heavy wooden door she stood behind. "Blossom! Wake up. Seriously."

I opened my eyes slowly, the bright sunlight making them sting. I groaned, shifting my position. I turned my head, and it throbbed terribly.

"Ugh...what?" I managed to drawl as loud as I could. I winced as my head screamed in protest.

"Did you not hear me?" Buttercup replied incredibly loudly. "I _said_ , get your lazy a-" she paused, catching herself. Professor didn't take kindly to cursing in the house. "... _butt_ out of bed, for crying out loud!"

For crying out loud? That sounded good right about now.

I was grateful when Bubbles' soft murmur stopped her. "Buttercup, Professor said she hurt her head badly. Don't you think yelling is making it worse?"

"Well, yeah! But we've been standing out here for a whole _ten minutes_ because her doors' locked! Since when is she locking her door anyway? She never locks her door."

"Buttercup, we've only been out here for four minutes."

"Well, that wasn't my point. We need to talk about last night, and we need to talk about it now!"

"Buttercup, I think you're blowing this a bit out of proportion."

"Out of proportion?! _Out of proportion_!? Oh, you haven't seen out of proportion yet! In a few minutes Blossom won't have this door, I'll make damn sure of that."

"Buttercup, I believe the Mayor just called. He said the whole city of Townsville is complaining about the noise."

Buttercup's voice only rose more so. I flinched at the sound of it. "Ha-ha, good one. But, seriously. We need to talk to her about last night, because Lord knows how she really got hurt! What if that grimy, rotten Rowdyruff tried to assault her while she was knocked out? What if someone else at the club was in on it? What if-"

Before I realized it, I was flying high speed at my door, forcing it off of its hinges and sending it flying down the hall and downstairs.

Bubbles and Buttercup watched the door on its journey at first, then simultaneously turned to me, eyes wide. I huffed, my long hair askew. I glowered at them fiercely.

"What?" My teeth ground together harshly, which only made my head ache more. They watched me cautiously for a second, as if expecting me to eat them or something.

"Um," Buttercup spoke up finally, though that was all she could say.

Bubbles chuckled nervously, slowly reaching her hands out to me in a half-hug, half-defensive stance. "Good morning, sunshine..."

#

"So, let me get this straight," I shook my head slowly. "We all started out together, then, we all split up. Then obviously, plenty happened after that."

I rubbed my aching forehead. The swelling had gone down by itself overnight, but most of the pain was still there. Bubbles and Buttercup were in my room, all of us sitting on my fluffy pink queen size bed. After fixing my door, we decided to finally discuss the night before.

"Okay, I think we should talk about what happened to each of us after we departed from one another. Bubbles," I paused to look at her. Her head snapped up, and she looked like she had been deep in thought about something. "You go first."

She brought her legs up and wrapped her arms loosely around them, her medium-long silky hair swaying around her elbows.

"Okay," she replied, taking a deep breath. "Well..." She hesitated, and I knew exactly why.

I thought back to the night before, when I saw her all 'friendly' with Boomer. I wondered if the same thing happened to Buttercup too, and something told me it might have.

"Um..." she stammered again, looking quite uncomfortable. She bit her lip.

"Bubbles," I made sure to make my voice soft and understanding, smiling when she looked up at me again. "Go ahead. We're your sisters, we won't judge you."

She gazed at me for a moment, her expression slightly unsure, then she smiled back. "Alright," She nodded and swallowed. "So...I kinda ran into Boomer."

At the mention of the Rowdyruffs' name, Buttercups' eyebrows raised and she leaned forward. I gave her a warning glance.

"Actually, he kinda found me. At first, I was defensive and I was ready for a fight, but...he was acting a lot differently. He's the type of person that you can read like a book, I learned that from fighting him all this time. His whole attitude towards me changed completely...he was smiling, he was calm, and he held me..."

Her voice trailed off, her cheeks bright with an emotion I couldn't determine, but I had an idea of what it was. Her eyelids closed and her long eyelashes rested on her red cheeks, as if she were experiencing it all over again. However, her epiphany was rudely interrupted.

"Held you? He h _eld you_?" Buttercup exploded, her face wrenched into a fierce, accusatory glare. "You let him hold you? What the _hell?_ "

Bubbles flinched, her eyes open again. Her eyes were full of guilt.

I scowled at my brunette sister. "Good Lord, Buttercup. Calm yourself. Did you not have your coffee this morning or something?"

She gaped at me, her eyes incredulous. "Right, right. I'm the one out of line here! And why aren't you freaking out, Miss I'm-the-boss-and-I-must-have-the-last-word-for-everything?"

I sighed. I really didn't want to get into the whole story now. I would explain everything later, I decided.

"Continue, Bubbles." I said, ignoring Buttercup as her angry green eyes pierced through me.

Bubbles didn't seem as comfortable as she did before, but she continued. "...And he took me to the rooftop to show me the amazing view. It was _so_ sweet. He held me and touched me so much last night, but not violently. He was so gentle to me, and he told me he wanted me to trust him."

"And you believed him?" Buttercup bellowed, her face somehow even more venomous. "Are you insane? What, did you let him kiss you too?"

I could tell her accusation was meant as an exaggeration, but Bubbles just stared back at Buttercup, tears making her eyes bright. Heartbreaking guilt wrenched her features.

" _Bubbles._ " She scolded immediately.

"I couldn't help it, Buttercup!" She wailed, bringing her face down to her open hands. "He said he _loved_ me!"

This threw me off, and my eyebrows shot up. He said he loved her...just like Brick had? I glanced over to Buttercup when I didn't hear her bellow of a reply like I thought I would. She had the same look of disbelief that I felt on my own face.

I looked back at a very emotionally overwhelmed Bubbles, and only then had I realized my mouth was hanging open.

"He..." I struggled to get a coherent sentence out and failed, thoughts and pictures of last night swirling around in my head. It made me dizzy. "...what?"

I brought my hand to clutch my head again, and it throbbed worse than before.

"Obviously..." Buttercup's voice croaked, but she cleared her throat. "We have much more to discuss here than we thought."

The very upset Bubbles continued to weep as I shook my head slowly. My fingers pulled at my hair. "No kidding."


	9. Every Heroine Has Her Day

**Chapter Nine**

**-Buttercup's POV-**

"I think we were played," I said, shaking my head slowly. I took a long swig of my coffee, extra black. I can't stand all the sweet crap that Bubbles adds to her coffee, it makes it taste like a unicorn and a rainbow puked into her mug. Once I tried a sip of hers, and it was so sweet I thought it was going to burn a hole into my esophagus or something.

Now that I had my coffee I was feeling much better, less like I wanted to punch someone. I had heard before somewhere that caffeine stunts growth, but that was for humans anyway. And hell, I was already 5'4 and a half at age sixteen, so I figured, screw it.

I glanced back and forth between my two sisters. Blossom hadn't stopped rubbing her head for minutes, something she does when she's thinking really hard, and it looked like soon she might start pulling out her hair. She looked just as confused as I felt. Then I switched my gaze to Bubbles. I apologized to her only ten minutes earlier, now that I had my coffee. She had finally stopped sobbing, but trails of black makeup ran down her face as evidence of her meltdown. Her eyes were slightly puffy now, and her face was still unsettled.

We had all told each other everything. Every detail, nothing was left out. After all was said, it had left us all completely speechless.

"...I," Blossom spoke up for the first time since sharing her part. "I wouldn't say...played. I mean, by the sounds of it, the boys had no idea that either of their brothers were planning to do the same thing. I mean, they all had legitimate reasons, and they were all completely different from one another. And by the way you guys described it...and by the way I...um, experienced it...the feelings felt genuine as well."

I nodded, swallowing more of the steaming hot beverage. She made sense, because by the way things happened last night, things definitely felt real. I sighed, the pictures of it flowing back to me. That morning when I woke up, I had thought it was all a dream. As cliché as the phrase is, it really was like it was all too good to be true.

I swallowed hard, running my hand down to my collarbone hidden under the collar of my baggy Motley Crue pajama shirt. I rubbed the tender, bruised skin gently, blood pounding in my ears just thinking about the mark. I kept my hand there, my fingers starting to tremble. I mentally cursed myself for being so weak, but my heart began to race faster, thinking about the last thing he had said to me last night.

**-Flashback, The Night Before, 12:57 am-**

We stood on the rooftop of my house, his arms wrapped around me tightly. We swayed back and forth slowly, like we were dancing to our own, nonexistent music. My small frame pressed against his towering 6'3 one, and my heartbeat matched the erratic beat of his. We had been standing like this for a good while now, I mean, not that I minded. Still though, I wondered why during this entire night he had drawn our moments like this out for so long. After all, it wasn't like this would be the last time we were going to see each other. Things were just getting started between us, and we would have countless more nights like this.

That was what I thought, anyway.

After a few more minutes, I reluctantly spoke up. "Butch." My voice was almost inaudible, probably because I didn't want to leave. But I knew eventually I would have to, or else Professor would send out a search party for me.

"Yeah?" His voice had the same low volume, his grasp tightening around me the slightest bit. I sighed. He wasn't making this any easier for me.

"You know we can't get caught like this, right?" I said.

I felt his muscles tense up a little at this. For a moment, we just stood there in silence. Neither of us, as cheesy as it sounded, wanted this night to end. But if anyone saw us together, the consequences would've been huge. Nothing would be the same ever again, and neither of us were ready for that.

He slowly let his arms fall back to his sides again, his hands sliding down my shoulders, down my waist and then slid down to my hips. Goosebumps rose where his skin brushed my skin, sending chills through my body. His jaw clenched as he chewed on the inside of his cheek—a nervous habit that he'd always had—and his eyes locked with mine. His eyes were clouded over, not with anger, but with some other emotion.

He didn't say anything, but it looked like he wanted to. It also looked like he was holding something back from me, which I kind of understood. After all, I would be more than a little suspicious if he'd completely opened up to me in one day.

Then, he leaned downward and tilted his mouth over mine, and my emotions took over, just the way they did when he did earlier. The kiss was good, of course, but also in a way...desperate. He brought his hands up to my shoulders again, grasping them like it was for dear life. The kiss lasted for longer than I thought it would, and eventually we had to break for air. Afterwards, he clenched his eyes shut in an almost pained matter and leaned his forehead against the crook of my neck. I didn't understand why he was acting so dramatic, like the Apocalypse was happening tomorrow. In a sense, though, it was.

I would understand that, though, in due time.

"Buttercup," he broke the silence, and when he paused, he swallowed so hard, I could feel it. "I'll ...miss you."

I couldn't help but smile a little as I let out a small, exasperated sigh. 'That was it?' I thought. 'That whole act, just because he's going to miss me?'

I shook my head slowly. "...I'll miss you too, Butch. But, hey! We'll see each other soon though, right? No big deal." Silence. "...Is something wrong?"

He shifted, his head leaving the warmth of my neck. He looked down at me, and this time his eyes were even darker with mystery. Without warning, he let go of my shoulders and began to walk away.

Stunned by this sudden change of mood, I followed him. "Butch...hey! Butch! What did I say?"

He stopped and looked down at me from over his shoulder. He didn't reply immediately, and for a moment it actually looked like he was annoyed. Finally, he took a deep breath and let it out with a small huff. "I need to go, Buttercup."

My shoulders slumped a little. "Right. Yeah...of course."

I watched the ground, because I could feel his eyes staring into the side of my face like two headlights. I didn't want him to think I was dependent on him. There was no way in hell that I was. I was still Buttercup Utonium damn it, boy or no boy.

At first, I thought he was just going to fly away without another word, but then again I was wrong. "Promise me something," he said. I looked back up at him. He looked as serious as he had earlier that night when he told me how he felt about me.

"Okay," was my half-assed reply, because I wasn't sure if I really wanted to offer him any promises, whatever it was. He came closer to me, closing the distance of two feet between us. He took my chin and moved it upwards so that I locked eyes with him. That gaze of his was still clouded, like a green barrier between us.

"Promise me you'll always remember what I said to you tonight."

 _'_ _Damn it. When I see you, or when I hear your voice or…hell, even just hearing your name...I just...I just…want to jump off of a cliff without flying, just to see if the rush even compares to what I feel when I see you. You make me want to scream at the top of my lungs about you until my throat is raw, until the whole world knows. Every time I make you bleed...I want to shove a knife through my heart so I can't hurt you anymore. When you look at me, or even when you're insulting me and screaming at me, my heart speeds up, and I can't slow it down._ _'_

My heart beat faster, and I started to feel vulnerable again. After I still hadn't replied, he tried again, wholly taking my face between his hands."Promise me, Buttercup." His voice broke when he said this. His jaw clenched again, though not in anger, and his brow furrowed intensely.

I stared into his eyes, stunned silent by his sudden grave seriousness, and nodded. Then, just as quickly as he had moved before, he let go of my face, spun on his heel and sped away in a flash of dark green. He was gone.

I watched where his figure faded into the dark night sky, half expecting him to come back.

My eyes turned downwards, and I brought my hand up to my face where he had touched it. The skin was still warm from his presence. I gulped hard, my throat still dry afterwards. "I promise," I said to no one.

**-End Flashback-**

That was the one thing that I actually _didn't_ tell my sisters. I wasn't sure why I kept it from them. I hardly keep anything from them, and when I do, since we're so close, they usually find out anyway. So why didn't I tell them this one little detail? Was it because I was afraid of them finding out that it turned out I had a freaking huge weakness, and that weakness just happened to be a Rowdyruff Boy? Maybe. If they found out how weak he made me feel, who's to know if the whole world wouldn't find out too? How differently would the entire world look at me?

And would I really want that?

"So anyway," Blossom's voice continued, and it jolted me out of my thoughts. "We just need to remember that they are still the _Rowdyruff Boys_. Despite their stupid, everyday habits that regular guys also have, these are villains we're talking about. By now, for all we know, they could have achieved a genius master plan to take over the world. Of course, we would find some way to stop them before they could, but we should know better than anybody what they're capable of."

I tensed up at the truth of her words. I had completely overlooked that thought before.

"They've been evil for so long, who knows if they're truly capable of anything else besides evil?" Blossom stopped once her voice broke, and when I looked over at her, I was shocked to see tears in her eyes.

'Why is she crying?' I thought, frowning. "Hey…Bloss…" I trailed off.

"Blossom?" Bubbles said quietly, reaching out to rub her back in a comforting way. "What's wr-"

"I'm sorry, guys," Blossom spoke up again, wiping the back of her hand under her eyes. "Excuse me. I, um...I need to go take a walk."

My blond sister and I watched with concerned expressions as she threw her hair in a high ponytail, put on sweats and walked out the door without another word. I tried to think of any reason why she might be so upset, and then I realized that I might have not been the only one to keep something to myself.

* * *

**-Back to Blossom's POV-**

I tugged on the ends of my long ponytail, trudging along the sidewalk and getting deeply lost in my thoughts. Since I almost always fly everywhere, I like to take long walks to help me think clearer.

I let go of my ponytail momentarily, rearranging the waistband on my Pink Victoria's Secret mid length sweatpants. Reaching up to rub my face, I belatedly realized I had left the house without putting on makeup. 'Crap,' I thought. 'Oh well. I'll just wear my sunglasses.' I dug into my pocket, only to find that I didn't have my sunglasses with me. I heaved a heavy sigh, grinding my teeth together. Son of a bitch.

' _It's okay,'_ I swore my conscience was laughing at me. ' _Let's just hope nobody that knows you will see you.'_

I rolled my eyes. Sure, okay. That only narrowed it down to nobody in this whole city.

I sighed again, and decided to shorten my route to the park. As I walked, there were sharp pains surging through my feet. It must have been from the night before, when I had run from Brick in my heeled boots. I usually don't run often, especially in heels, so now my poor feet were screaming at me for it.

Then, almost freezing in place I realized that another thought of Brick had easily invaded my mind. The night before, I could hardly fall asleep. It was any wonder I could fall asleep at all. His voice was ringing in my mind all night. I didn't admit it to my sisters, but everything he'd said affected me deeply. I was tossing and turning all night, feeling feverish and strangely…happy. But as I was lecturing my sisters, I realized I need to take my own words to heart as well. Somehow by the end of last night, I had forgotten our whole past with the Rowdyruff Boys. Their vicious, nasty, evil selves couldn't possibly be erased in one night. There had to be something else going on.

 _'But Blossom, isn't that what you've always wanted?'_ My conscience chimed in once again. _'Someone to hold you and tell you how much you mean to them? Someone that treats you like a prize? Most of all...don't you want_ him _to be the one doing it?'_

I didn't know how to answer that, so I just frowned and pressed my lips together.

I decided to put all my pondering on hold, and glancing around, I noticed that I had arrived at the park. There were a few toddler-aged kids swinging, their parents sitting on benches, but other than that, not a lot of people where there. For the most part, it didn't look like they were aware I was even there. Relieved, I took a seat on one of the empty benches, bringing my thigh-length ponytail in front of me so I wouldn't accidentally sit on it. I had been doing that a lot lately. My hair grows like crazy—sometimes faster than human's hair, I've noticed—and I would probably have to get a haircut soon.

I cupped my chin, resting my elbows on my knees. Resuming my train of thought again, I sighed. There was one thing for _sure_ that I came upon understanding last night. I didn't know why exactly, but somewhere deep inside of me, it just made sense.

I really had feelings for Brick. Brick Jojo, the 'son' of Mojo Jojo, leader of the Rowdyruff Boys. Whether it was attraction, a crush, whatever it was, it was there. And it had always been there, stewing beneath the surface, even though I never acknowledged it.

And the worst part was that I couldn't do anything about it.

Jerking me out of my thoughts again, a snooty, all too familiar voice tore me from my thoughts."Well, who do we have here?"

Grudgingly, I looked to the source of the voice, and found Princess standing before me in all her pretentious, stuck-up, glory. Not to mention clad in a super-mini jean skirt and violet tube top, her curly hair thickly surrounding her much like her thickly suffocating presence.

'Has this girl ever worn regular jeans in her life?' I thought dryly.

"What do you want, Princess?" I said it half heartedly, because in all honesty I couldn't give a care in the world for why she was there. I wasn't in the mood for sharp banter, however.

She shook her head slowly."Honestly, _Bloss_ , the least you could do is make yourself look at least a _little_ presentable if you're going to leave the house."

My mouth twitched. Well, I couldn't say she was wrong. "Well, you know what? I really don't care right now." And I didn't. I had too much on my mind at that moment.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes hugely. "You don't care about how you look?" She laughed in a mocking way. "And people say _I'm_ full of shit."

I felt a heavy glare on my face, and in the back of my mind I kind of wished that my laser vision would _accidentally_ go off. Honestly though, this girl was really asking for it. Yeah, she had said much worse to me before, but being emotionally unstable as I was that day, she was pushing her luck. "Princess." I glared at her still. "I think you should leave now."

"What," she had an exaggerated look of shock on her face. "You would hurt me, an innocent citizen, with little children watching?"

Caught off guard, my eyes widened. I had forgotten all about the kids. Turning to glance over at them, they had stopped swinging, staring at us both with big eyes. They had probably overheard the whole thing.

I slowly turned back to the spoiled head-cheerleader of my school, my eyebrows furrowing. "Come on, Princess. Would you give it a rest?" I leaned back on the bench. "I'm having a bad day. Just leave me alone for once, okay? Can't you do that?"

Begging had been a mistake. A mischievous glint in her eyes, she turned it up even more. "Oh, whatever do you _mean?_ What did I do to you, Blossom?" She said this loud enough for everyone, from the passers-by to the kids, to hear. "I'm such a big fan! I didn't mean to offend you, I just asked for an autograph!"

I gaped in disbelief. Anger was starting to flare up inside of me. I stood up, and Princess gasped, starting to back away. People around us started to stir.

I knew I was getting too angry, I knew I should have walked away, but my temper was numbing me to the stares and I couldn't stop myself from yelling. " _Stop!_ " I got in her face, my face inches away from hers. I could feel my face flushed with my rage. "For God's sake, just _stop it!_ Get the hell out of here and _leave me alone!_ "

I felt better now that I had let my anger out. That is, until I saw the smug look in Princesses' eyes.

I had walked right into her bear trap.

She continued, feeding off of my angry response like a pro. "Oh, no! I'm sorry! Oh, please, Powerpuff Girl! Please don't hurt me! Ahhh!" Princess screamed, throwing her hands up to protect her face.

By now, bystanders had stopped, some pointing and whispering. Others just stood, frozen and staring at me like I was a wild animal. The parents that were there with their children rushed to pull them far away from me. "Hey, she's gonna hurt that girl!" I heard a man shout. I looked around and across the street and saw Townsville paparazzi driving up in their cars, rushing towards us with their cameras. There were at least 3 news cameras.

My stomach sank. Frustration and helplessness took over me. My hands shook, and the back of my throat started to sting. I looked over at Princess, willing her to stop with a pleading gaze. "Princess...Princess, please..." My eyebrows furrowed deeper. The paparazzo's cameras started to flash nonstop at this.

"Ahhh! Please, someone, protect me!" Some men in uniforms—security guards, or cops? When did the police get here?—ushered her away quickly, and for a split second, she looked over at her shoulder at me, a smirk on her face from ear to ear.

The crowd of cameras, TV reporters and microphones swallowed me whole like a sea monster.

"Blossom, tell us! Are you a villain now?"

"Were you going to hurt that innocent girl?"

"What was that girls' name?"

"Do you do drugs?"

"Do you still expect to be a role model for young girls after this incident?"

Reporters roughly shoved into me, microphones and camera lenses the only thing I could see. With every question that blared in my ears, fear filled me more and more. Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes, and reluctantly I let them escape. I tried to push past them and covered my face with my hands, not allowing those leeches with cameras to see my tears any longer, and I lifted from the ground and sped off into the air.

Suddenly, being in the arms of Brick Jojo didn't seem so terrifying.

* * *

**-Unknown POV-**

I swiveled back and forth in my comfortable roller chair, staring ahead at the dark wall. Bringing my clasped hands to run across my chin, a sneer graced my face. Suddenly, I turned completely around, and found myself looking at the three brothers named The Rowdyruff Boys. They watched me as well, each with an expectant, sullen expression. I waited a moment before I spoke. "Has the deed been done?"

Strange enough, as soon as I said this, all three dropped their eyes from me. My eyes grew, anticipating their response. I hoped it wasn't what I feared. " _Well?_ " I leaned forward, my lips curling downward.

The redhead folded his arms, his head downcast. "...No."

Anger overwhelmed me. I stood, my fists slamming into my metallic desk.

" _What?!_ " I snarled, my voice echoing throughout the almost empty room. The boys seemed like they expected this reaction, since none of them even flinched. "How _difficult_ was this plan? Are you all morons? When I say to go get rid of the Powerpuff Girls once and for all, I _mean_ once and for all. Does that mean _anything_ to you idiots?"

They continued to watch the floor in silence. I slowly sat back down, leaning back into my chair.

"Well, then," I continued, clearing my throat. "At least tell me that they're injured in some way. Did you put some fear in them? Make them anticipate the worst the next time you meet?" More silence. And just when I thought I couldn't get any angrier. " _Fuck!_ Did you do _anything_ to them? At all?"

The one with black hair spoke this time, not looking me in the eye. "May have. What's it to you?"

My eyes narrowed even further. I stared at them coldly. "I don't think you understand, boys." I stood again, clawing at the desk. Strips of metal rose from the surface and curled underneath my fingers. "You belong to me. You are my objects. I am your master. And when I say something, then you do it. No questions asked, no hesitation. No negotiations. Got it?"

They stared at me, their eyes emotionless and shadowed. The blond-haired boy looked away first, his eyebrows furrowed. I squinted at him. I sensed weakness in him. I didn't like it.

"Well, we didn't." the redhead said again. "So, what now?"

I sat in my seat once more, my lips pursed together in both suspicion and more bottled-up anger. I was beginning to get impatient. In how many more ways would they continue to disappoint me? I plucked the strips of metal from the desk, toying with them between my fingers in deep thought.

After a while, I spoke. "Now," I paused, my smirk returning. "We move on to plan B."


	10. Dead Inside

**Chapter Ten**

**-Blossom's POV-**

I was sitting on our large living room sofa, my hands covering my swollen eyes. Tears were still pouring down my face, and my sobs filled the room. My sisters sat on either side of me, Bubbles rubbing my back, trying to soothe me. Professor stood behind the couch, his foot tapping angrily against the carpet while his eyes were fixated on the current national news hot scoop-me. CNN newscasters' voices could be heard low in the background.

"Blossom," Buttercup said to me, tightly grasping my knee that was nearest to her-also soothing, in her own way. "Stop crying. It's been hours now."

Removing my hands, I sat up and looked at her, shaking my head. "You don't understand. Is it your face up there, Buttercup? Are they saying those awful things about you? No. Just me. I've never been this embarrassed in my entire life." I paused, shoving loose hair behind my ears and sniffing loudly. "Not just embarrassed, but...ruined. Half the city hates me now. I can never leave the house again. The last time something like this happened, it happened to all three of us. Now it's just me. Why is this happening to-"

Mid-sentence I glanced at the TV, and at that very moment, those damn newscasters had plastered onscreen the most unflattering picture of me I had _ever_ seen in my _entire_ sixteen years of life. It almost looked like a mugshot of a celebrity getting arrested for a DUI. I burst out into another round of sobs with an appalled wail of "Oh my _Goooooooooood!_ "

At the same time, Bubbles cried, "Those animals!" Buttercup just made a sound of indignation.

My blue eyed sister hugged me tighter and leaned her head down onto my hunched shoulder, as if she could comfort me with the level of her proximity, or something.

Professor leaned over the back of the couch, wrapping his arms around me and Bubbles. "I'm so sorry, Blossom honey." His tone was drenched in sympathy. "I don't know if you want to hear this right now, but you know, I can remember another time when you thought you'd never go out in public again."

Putting my sobs on hold, I glanced up at him with an expectant, bleary stare. "What?"

"Oh, you don't remember?" He smiled slightly and straightened his glasses. "I seem to recall that time when you got a…um…'haircut' from your sisters." He made air quotes with his fingers.

A haircut? My sisters had never given me...oh wait. _Click._ "Oh, that's right. It was back when we were five." For a moment I forgot about my despair. Beside me, Bubbles sat up and covered her giggles with her hand. I glared at her. "I can't believe you're _still_ laughing about it."

"B-but B-blossom!" Bubbles stuttered out between breaths. She was now laughing so hard that her entire face was red. "That was one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life!"

I turned my glare to Buttercup as she tried to disguise laughs with coughs.

"Yeah, well, it was humiliating. It was the worst day of my life." I took a long pause as I glanced at the TV, where images of me with my hand over my face were splattered everywhere. "Except for today." Slowly, my glare faded, and new thoughts invaded my mind. Thoughts that annoyed me because they shouldn't have even mattered.

_'What if Brick sees those news reports?' 'What if it changes his opinion about me?'_ And the one that disturbed me the most: _'Will he still have feelings for me?'_ I felt the blood drain from my face. After seeing me like that, would he change his mind about what he said? What if he believed them? What if he thought I was crazy?

"Blossom," Professor broke through my thoughts. "Did you hear me?"

I cleared my throat. "No, sorry." I said, barely above a whisper. "Come again?"

His mouth formed a serious line. "Blossom, you are much too hard on yourself. This is all because of Princess, remember? This wasn't your fault. You need to stop blaming yourself for everything."

I took a glimpse at my sisters' solemn faces, and they nodded their heads in agreement. "But I can't help it." My words were high pitched. I was on the verge of tears again. "That's just the way I am."

"We understand that," Professor continued, "but you're making yourself miserable over it. Look at yourself."

My shoulders drooped. Well, I was pretty miserable.

Bubbles cut in, "and you keep forgetting one important detail. Bloss," Bubbles paused. I looked up at her, then she smiled warmly and said, "You have us. No matter what happens."

Slowly, I returned the smile. That's why I love my sisters so much. I could do anything to betray them (which I have before), anything to make them furious with me (which I've done too many times to count), and they wouldn't think of me any differently. They would still love me and support me.

I felt a momentary overwhelming wave of gratefulness wash over me, but almost immediately afterward, the thoughts from before shattered my momentary happiness.

Sure, he had said he loved me. But that could change in a second if he saw what these people on the news thought of me-like I was some sort of monster.

I suddenly wished my conscience was there to bug me again.

* * *

**-Brick's POV-**

I watched the TV in complete shock. I flipped through every news station in the country, and every time I clicked to the next channel, the shock and unease grew. I shook my head. "Aw, Bloss..."

Her pretty face was all over those damn news stations. Headlines like _'Powerpuff finally loses it!'_ and _'Blossom attacks innocent fan!'_ flashed across the screen. I watched as one channel showed a clip of her pushing through the crowd of the parasitic media surrounding her. She looked beyond frustrated, so small, asking them to move as tears flowed down her face. At the sight of her tears, rage flared up inside of me.

"Those bastards," I shouted, almost ripping the remote between my hands in half. I continued to listen to the reporter's voice.

_"Eyewitnesses say that when an innocent teenage fan approached her, simply asking her for an autograph, the super heroine began to shout at her and threaten her. We interviewed this fan earlier today, let's take a look."_ The screen quickly switched to a clip of the interview that took place. As soon as I saw the girls' face, my face twisted with anger.

"Princess…that _bitch_." Of course it was her. I should have known.

_"Yes, she did attack me."_ Princess said, her high-pitched, whiny voice irritating me even over the television. _"I was scared for my life!"_ After she said this, she turned dramatically towards the camera. She made an overdone Home-Alone-like expression, and then proceeded to flip her thick red hair. _"I've never been so scared in my life. I thought I was going to die. I don't know if I can go on!"_

The newswoman shook her head in sympathy, her brow furrowed. I shook my head as well, watching her. I couldn't believe that she had actually believed that crap. The woman turned towards the camera. _"Poor girl. You heard it here first."_ Behind her, Princess proceeded to wink and wave at the camera until the clip faded out, like the phony she was. I suddenly had a stronger, new-found disdain for that girl.

I quickly changed the channel, and two more news reporters were having a conversation.

" _Y' know, Rich, it seems like just yesterday that those Powerpuff Gals were sweet, innocent little five year olds."_

" _You got that right, Gladys! I still remember the first time I met those girls, all cute and everything. Now they're all grown up."_

" _Exactly! And, now that they're grown up, should we still be able to trust them? I mean, as we saw today, even Powerpuff Girls have a breaking point. What if it happens again?"_

" _That's right, and how do we know that if it does happen again, that all of our lives won't be in danger?"_

I clicked the television off immediately, and then turned to throw the remote control out of the window. I paused, thinking of how pissed the monkey would be it I destroyed another remote. I threw it to the couch instead, the plastic battery flap flying off of the back. I gripped my face in my hands, rubbing my temples furiously. I took deep breaths in attempt to control my anger, but it hardly helped.

_'Such bullshit.'_ I thought. _'Blossom would never do that. Maybe_ I _would, but she wouldn't. What the hell is wrong with these people?'_ Her name in my mind reminded me of something completely different. My fury died down suddenly, and it was replaced by guilt and a sort of sadness. The feeling brought or sort of numb pain to my stomach. I thought back to this afternoon.

_'You know what we have to do now, boys.'_ The mutant monkey had said, his lips parted to reveal blade-sharp, gleaming teeth in a menacing, ugly smile. His words twisted my stomach again now. Yes, of course I knew. But I didn't want to think about it. I had been trying to avoid that thought since last night.

I rested my chin in my hands, grimacing at the awful churning in my stomach.

I didn't want to do it. In fact, I kept wondering why I did all of those things and said all of that to her last night in the first place. I knew I shouldn't have. Because if I hadn't, then I wouldn't have to do… _this_. I squeezed my eyes shut, already regretting it. But it wasn't just my fault...my brothers had done this too. It wasn't even planned out that way, but it happened. For all of us. I sighed aloud.

I wondered if I had known about them doing it, if I would have stopped them.

_'Probably not,'_ I thought. _'They probably wouldn't have even listened to me.'_ Conversely, if they had tried to stop me, I wouldn't have listened anyway. _'I lost control. Something drove me to let go last night.'_

It was true. I let go completely. I said things to her that I never thought I would ever say to her. Things I'd always imagined saying, but never dared because I couldn't. And I still couldn't now...but it was too late. I already did. It was done now. Things would never be the same.

I could practically feel myself holding her tightly in my arms again, her addicting scent nearly knocking me senseless. I longed to feel her silk-soft skin beneath my fingertips, watch as the blood flooded her cheeks when I touched her. I opened my eyes. The memories of the night before made my grief worse. Seeing that nobody else was in the room with me made the sting harsher, and I wished I hadn't opened my eyes again.

This was why I shouldn't have let go last night. It would only make things from now on harder for the both of us. I shook my head. It had to be done. There wasn't anything I could do about it, it wasn't my choice, and I hated that.

I lifted my eyes to the open window, my eyes catching on the long red ribbon on the windowsill. I watched the end of it flutter and sway in the quiet breeze, more memories from last night coming back.

' _Is…is that what I think it is, Brick?'_

' _This is the ribbon I took from you seven years ago.'_

' _No, seriously? Why did you keep it this whole time?'_

' _You don't even kn-'_

I forced the last part from my mind, remembering what came after that. My stomach turned again, and I gulped hard.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, and the ribbon started to slip outside towards town. I bolted towards it, reaching my hand towards it, and caught the end of it just in time. I huffed a heavy sigh of relief, gripping the crimson piece of fabric. I stared at it, stared real hard, my eyes following the faint traces of blood stains remaining on it. It was funny how much this small piece of fabric meant so much to me. It meant so much because it was _hers_. The reason why I had the scar on my head, the reason life actually meant something to me now. It symbolized that.

I grimaced now, still staring at it. I squeezed my eyes shut, regretting the next few actions I was going to make. Not just in the next few seconds, but far beyond that as well.

I stepped forward, my free hand gripping the window sill. I forced my occupied hand as far out into the city air as I could, my fingers aching to stay closed.

I forced myself to watch as I opened my hand, dropping the ribbon into thin air. The ribbon fluttered further into the city as the wind picked up again.

I watched it until I couldn't anymore.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

That night I lay awake in my bed, gripping the fuzzy pink comforter around me. I brought my knees up to my chest in a fetal position. I huffed out a heavy breath, as if it was hard to do so. My eyes flickered to the digital clock on the wall, and I found that it wasn't night at all. It was morning.

_4:17 am._

I hadn't been keeping track of time at all. I just lay there, thinking about the past awful twenty four hours. The past twenty four hours without him. That empty ache in my chest had gotten much worse, much more noticeable. The sight of him flying into the night sky was still fresh in my mind, and thinking about it made me cold again. I pulled my blankets closer around me. I shivered, but I wasn't sure if it was because I was cold, or if it was for another reason.

I knew this couldn't be healthy. For pity's sakes, it had only been a day. Before yesterday, I was ecstatic when I didn't see him for weeks at a time. I felt free.

But now I felt drained. I didn't feel well, I felt sick. This day sucked on every level, and feeling like this wasn't helping me at all.

I had school the next day, I should've been sleeping, but my thoughts were loud. Thoughts of last night would always be imprinted in my memory. They were words someone never forgot, even if they tried, for as long as they live.

I sighed. I wanted this horrible feeling to end. I had to see him again, and soon.

I closed my eyes, but sleep didn't come that night.

* * *

**-Time skip, 4 months later-**

I heard footsteps outside my door. They woke me, but I forced my eyes to stay shut. I didn't feel the need to get out of bed. There was nothing better for me to do these days.

The late august breeze came through my window, tousling the long fringe around my face. I flinched. The warm air was making me uncomfortably hot. I felt liquid run down my face, but I knew it wasn't sweat. They were tears.

I moved my hand incautiously to dab at the familiar fluid, ignoring the slight sting went I accidentally scratched my face. When I opened my eyes and then blinked, I wasn't surprised when more leaked out of the corners of my eyes. I had cried so much the past few months, it had lost its meaning long ago. I was surprised my tear ducts could still produce tears.

I flinched as the wind picked up, the hot air nipping at my eyes. I decided it was time to get out of bed, so I brought my legs to the edge of the bed and stopped a moment to stretch. It didn't feel good; my muscles were tightened and stiff. I stood up slowly, my head still swimming from the sudden change in blood flow. Shuffling my feet over the carpet, I arrived at my vanity.

I stared at the girl in the mirror. She had long, flowing red hair, but it was tangled and looked unkempt. It fell past the boundaries of the mirror in tangled curls. She had bangs, but they looked like they were in the stage of being grown out, because they had grown long past the tip of her nose. Behind the long bangs, she had pale pink eyes, but they looked vacant. They were hazed over, and the whites of her eyes were slightly blood-shot. There was evidence of circles under her eyes, as a sign of lack of sleep. They were the kind of circles that one gets from not only one sleepless night, but many in a row. Her eyebrows had formed what it seemed was a permanent sad line, as if it was carved into her face. Her mouth formed a taught, thin line. I didn't recognize her at all.

She didn't look happy. In fact, she looked tortured and heartbreakingly miserable. She looked dead inside.

A quiet tap at my door silenced my thoughts, but I didn't tear my eyes away from the reflective surface.

"Blossom," the voice of my green-eyed sister came from under the crack of the door. "Breakfast is in the kitchen…come if you're hungry."

My mouth twitched humorlessly at the sarcasm in her tone. I hadn't been that hungry at all. I hardly ate that much anymore. Still eyeing the mirror, I poked at the faint tracings of my ribs straining against my skin. I knew that probably should have concerned me, but it didn't.

I didn't care anymore.

But I knew that I was probably worrying my family. I thought about it all the time, although no more than something else-but I forced the something else from my mind.

After quite a time of mentally debating with myself, I finally decided to put on my pair of hot pink Aeropostale slippers and hesitantly scuffle down the stairs. I could hear the clinging of dishes and murmuring voices from the upstairs hall, and when I appeared at the kitchen doorway, the noises immediately stopped. My two sisters and my father stared at me with rattled expressions. As if I was the Ghost of Christmas Past, or something.

Finally, my blonde sister broke the silence first. "Blossom! Oh my God!" The volume of her voice rose with her exclamation. She flew at me, her arms open wide. She embraced me tightly and warmly, like she hadn't seen me in a long time. Which, in a way, she kind of hadn't. "You're _here!_ "

"I've always been here," I muttered, surprised that my voice came out in a croak.

This earned me another stunned look from my family, even Bubbles pulled back from the embrace momentarily to stare at me. All of the staring was starting to bother me. I twisted my face into an expression that I thought could possibly be annoyance. "What?" I croaked again.

#

"We really were worried about you, honey." Professor said, swallowing the last bit of pancake he had chewed. "We're very glad to see you. This is a surprise."

I didn't know how to reply, so I just nodded. I swallowed more syrup-drenched pancake without tasting it, just eating for the sake of eating. There was a brief silence, and the sound of forks and knives scraping against plates echoed in the room.

Bubbles turned to face me, her eyes looking me up and down. I shrunk away from her gaze self-consciously. "Bloss," her face was full of sympathy, and if I was being honest, pity. "You look terrible."

I scowled, practically massacring the last bit of pancake on my plate with my fork. I knew I did. She didn't have to tell me that.

"Really, you do," Buttercup chimed in, nodding a little too eagerly for my liking.

I clenched my teeth. I was beginning to regret coming out of my room. "Well, sorry." I paused, taking a drink of my orange juice. It helped the sound of my voice a little, but not by much. "What am I supposed to do about it?" Besides, it's not like I had a reason to care about my appearance anymore. Since the...Princess incident, and the escalation at school afterwards, I stayed in my room now, and that's it. So why bother?

Bubbles reached her hand over to touch mine. Her tanned, slim, French manicured fingers made mine look like pale sausages. The difference was almost appalling. "Blossom," she said slowly, like she was explaining something to a toddler. "Me and Buttercup are going to take you to the mall."

"No." The mall…? Where more people could see me and be disgusted? I opened my mouth to protest further, but she put a slender, tan finger in my face.

"We're going to give you a makeover." Buttercup finished for her, using the same slow tone.

I stared at her. Had Buttercup always cared this much about shopping? A few months and it's like I don't even know my own sisters anymore. "No, you're not. Besides, I don't have the money for that!" I blurted, searching for an excuse to stay here. Anything, anything at all.

"It's our treat. We'll pay for everything," Bubbles answered immediately. From the way she'd had the answer ready, evidently, they had been planning to do this for a while now. Perhaps if I hadn't come out of my room on my own, they would've broken in and taken me forcibly. "Besides," she continued, "do you _really_ expect us to let you start the new school year the way you look right now?"

I cringed, remembering. We started school in a week, and this school year we would be juniors. I groaned aloud.

"I didn't think so," Bubbles gave me a smug look. "So, start getting ready after you're done eating." After she said this, she and Buttercup eyed the last chunks of pancake in front of me.

I stared at it too, panicking. My eyes flashed to the platter of pancakes in the middle of the table, and grabbing my fork, I stabbed as many pancakes as I could and threw then onto my plate. Pouring more syrup on top of the mountain, I glanced up at Bubbles dry expression.

"Unbelievable," Buttercup said to me, mirroring Bubbles expression.

"…What?" I mumbled innocently. "I'm really hungry." That wasn't a complete lie. I actually hadn't realized how hungry I really was until I started eating. My stomach churned violently, begging for more, and I had forgotten that I had skipped all three meals yesterday. Well, not only yesterday, but sometimes every other day lately. Not on purpose, I just...didn't have a large appetite these days. Except for today, I guess.

My sisters got up from the table, rolling their eyes in sync.

I shrugged and proceeded to scoop pancakes into my watering mouth, and Professor still sat across the table from me, rubbing his temples and probably wondering why he didn't create boys.

#

"Guys, slow down!" I cried. I regretted having so many pancakes in such a short time, and my whole body felt weighed down and sluggish as we flew to the Townsville Mall.

I also wasn't used to flying anymore. The crime rate had slowed from slim to none lately. We suspected that Mojo had gone somewhere, and he'd been gone for months. With him gone, the rest of crime sort of came to a standstill. So I hadn't been using my powers as much. Plus, after the Princess situation a few months ago, I stopped going out in public. That's how it'd been the entire summer: I spent days locked in my room, sleeping. Only sometimes during the night would I let myself leave my bedroom, when there was no one around to see me and talk to me and ask what was wrong with me. I didn't want to talk or be looked at like some freak. It had become safe in there, quiet. Filled with only the books and music that I liked. No embarrassment. No people that don't understand. No pain.

And now I was really _really_ regretting coming out of there.

"Speed up, pinky." Buttercup shouted at me over her shoulder. I struggled to accelerate, my eyes watering from the wind.

Bubbles flew beside Buttercup, and the two exchanged a look as she shook her head. "I still can't believe we're taking you out in public looking like this," she remarked at me over her shoulder.

Ouch. I mean really... _ow_. That hurt. I blustered, "Hey, shut up! You guys are family. You're supposed to love me no matter what, remember?"

Bubbles turned her head momentarily to give me a genuine smile. "Of course we love you, Bloss," she said in a gentle tone. "We always will." She paused, raising an eyebrow. "But would it have killed you to brush your hair?"

I shrugged, playing with a chunk of the red mass between my fingers. Before we left, I had tried to brush it. But at the bottom, it was so tangled that the bristles wouldn't go through the strands at all.

"And good _Lord_ , look at how long it is!" Buttercup chimed in again. "How do you walk with that motherfucker on your head?"

"Buttercup!" Bubbles cut at her, giving her a glare. "Be nice."

Buttercup half shrugged. "Just saying."

She was right, though. I glanced back at my hair, flowing slightly past my calves, almost to my ankles. I didn't put it up in a ponytail anymore, and I hadn't gotten a haircut in who knows how long.

I hadn't realized that we had arrived at the mall until my sisters dropped from my line of vision, floating to the ground below. I followed, my hair flowing above me like a parachute. As soon as I landed, Buttercup turned to me quietly and held out a pair of shiny black aviators in her hand, offering me a small smile. I took them gratefully and hoped they would help disguise me even a little bit.

We walked to the front doors in silence, and greeting us on the other side was the loud, crowded food court, bustling with teenagers. It reminded me of our high school, and I suddenly felt like running. Almost everyone turned their attention to us, and my stomach dropped to my feet. But when I looked at their faces, they seemed to only be looking at my sisters. Even while I was relieved, I couldn't help but feel a bit inadequate. My sisters were, after all, gorgeous. Even more than I remembered.

Bubbles was wearing a faded, frayed Hollister skirt, her slim legs glowing tan. Her navy blue and white tube-baby doll top stood out beautifully against her skin tone, and her gleaming, straightened blonde hair fell flawlessly and layered to her ribcage. The dark blue of her shirt made her eyes stand out even more. Black eyeliner framed her eyes, and her eyelashes somehow seemed longer.

Buttercup had changed her look a little bit over the summer. Currently she wore acid-wash, super tight, black skinny jeans, making her legs look even more slender and long. She wasn't as tan as Bubbles, but her skin still held the glow of a summer spent outdoors and stood out against the black tube top she wore. The tube top had the print of a skeleton' ribs and spinal cord on it, and in the ribcage was the fictional shape of a heart, and it was green. Her hair had also grown longer over the summer, and it now fell past her shoulders, but the top of it was cut into choppy layers, which gave her hair an overall heart shape. It was glossy black and straightened as well. Side-bangs were clipped across her forehead, no skin peeking though it at all. Her eye makeup was still heavy and black in true Buttercup fashion.

They must have put more effort than I did to get ready. I looked down shamefully at my too-loose jeans and plain white tank top that washed out against my pale, sun-deprived skin. My sisters took my hands and dragged me through the crowd. As we walked through, I could hear whistles and shouts coming from guys all around us, and I hung my head, knowing very well who they were directed at. Bubbles tried to cover her embarrassed giggles with her free hand, and Buttercup just rolled her eyes in disgust.

As we kept walking, less people started noticing us- or should I say, _them_. Though, every once in a while I would see a group of teenage boys gawking at them. However, my sisters paid no mind. As I watched them, I noticed something. They really had changed. Not just physically, but in different ways.

Bubbles had been acting really cheerful all morning. Not just like she had always been, but more. Almost _too_ cheerful...like something was wrong and she was trying to hide it. And Buttercup. She had been...quieter this morning. Not only this morning, but when I spent days in my room, I never heard her yelling or breaking something from outside my door.

Hadn't Professor noticed? Was I the only one?

Then I thought back to our sisterly meeting forever ago. I furrowed my brow. It couldn't be...but maybe I _wasn't_ the only one having a bad time. Had they been suffering as much as I had been?

"Okay," Bubbles said suddenly. I snapped my head up, and I didn't realize I had started to cry until the movement sent tears ricocheting off of my face. "First stop, Abercrombie." She had already started dragging me towards the store, a wide grin on her face.

Suddenly, Buttercup tugged on my other arm, jerking me towards her in the opposite direction. "I don't think so," she said with raised eyebrows. She jerked me again. "First stop, Urban Outfitters."

" _No_ ," Bubbles paused to pull me towards her with more force. "Hollister."

" _No_ ," Buttercup pulled me harder. "Hot Topic."

"No!" Bubbles shouted this time, yanking me. I was starting to feel dizzy. "American Eagle!"

"Girls, hey! Ow!" I cried as the tug-of-war game continued, my arms throbbing.

This was going to be a long mall trip.

#

My breath hitched in my throat. "I don't know, guys…"

I sat in a hair stylists' chair, staring that red-haired girl in the mirror again. The stylist behind me had my hair bundled in one hand, the other hand on her hip. She had choppy, short pink hair and a warm smile on her smile, the ring in her nose lifting slightly.

"Blossom, you need to do this. Here. Now. It's time." Buttercup came to my left side, grasping my shoulder for emphasis on her next words. "Or I'll do it myself." She made a scissor motion with two fingers threateningly.

My eyes widened.

"Besides," Bubbles came to my other side attempting to brush the extra hair out of my face. "It's not going to be that short." She turned to the stylist. "Right, Kat?"

"Definitely," the girl named Kat said. She winked at me. "Don't worry, sweetie. I know you like it long. We're just going to make it manageable." She had a thick southern English accent, and it actually calmed me down a bit. I nodded slowly, and Kat pulled out a hair tie. She slowly made a loose ponytail, letting the hair tie down to my elbow. "How's that?" She paused to let me reply with a small whimper. "I'm just gonna lob the whole ponytail off at one go, so we can get over with it quick, all right? I'm doing it now."

I nodded and clamped my eyes shut. I didn't want to watch. I felt a small tugging at my hair, but that was it.

"It's over, lovey." Kat said comfortingly, and I slowly and hesitantly opened my eyes. She dangled the yard-long ponytail in front of me, and my jaw dropped.

"Mhmm." Bubbles tone was sing-songy, and I scowled.

I then looked at the length of hair again, and let out a sad sigh. "Bye, hair." I said glumly, and the trio around me chuckled.

"Does your head feel lighter, Bloss?" Buttercup teased, squeezing my shoulder.

I knew she wasn't serious, but I tilted my head from side to side, marveling at how it felt. "Actually, it does."

The trio laughed again, and then Kat suddenly spun me around in the swivel chair. "Let's finish this up!" Her smile grew eager, reaching towards me with the scissors and a small comb.

I braced myself, nervous for the outcome. While she worked, I glanced at my sisters, who were currently arguing about whether Buttercups' makeup was too heavy or not. I didn't realize I was smiling. Not a big one, but still, a smile. I didn't remember how long it had been since I had smiled.

This summer had been a torturous one. Lonely. I'd locked myself in my room, day after day, wallowing. I'd forgotten what I was missing in the outside world. There were so many things I missed. Today had been so much fun, and now I realized, I needed it. I needed to leave my room, I needed to see my sisters again, to be with them, to be surrounded by their love.

And now I also realized that it was time to move on. More than just my embarrassment and fear of everyone else...I couldn't spend the rest of my life crying over…him. Of course, I couldn't say his name anymore. It hurt too much. But I couldn't let him ruin my life. I couldn't let anybody ruin my life. I needed to be me again.

I swallowed, the tears at the back of my eyes threatening to come out. I grit my teeth together. No. I wasn't going to cry. Not anymore.

' _There you go_ , _that's my girl._ ' The familiar, long lost voice of my conscience returned, echoing strong in my mind in a new-found, loud volume. ' _Welcome back, Blossom_.'


	11. Almost Like Brand New

**Chapter Eleven**

_Oh God._

I swallowed hard against the lump rising higher and higher in my throat. My stomach churned more and more with dread as we flew closer to that cursed building. The building I had been preparing myself to go to for an entire week.

Townsville High School.

_Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…_

However, it's not like I wasn't prepared at least appearance-wise. The makeover my sisters had treated me to a week earlier had fixed all of my doubts about that.

* * *

**-Flashback, a week ago-**

The same second I stepped out of the dressing room, a shrill squeal filled the entire store. The sound ricocheted off of every wall, making all heads turn our direction.

"Oh my… _Goooooood!_ " Bubbles screamed excitedly, jumping up and down and clapping her hands like a hyperactive seven year old. "Blossom! You look _incredible!"_

I must have blushed nine shades of red, watching every customer gawking at me. I wasn't sure what the stares meant, but they were seriously making me uncomfortable. Earlier today, nobody paid any attention to me. I was invisible. Now, _everyone_ was looking at me. I even took a quick glance out the front door of the store, and people had stopped walking by and were looking inside, gaping at me. Buttercup, who was walking back from the direction of Hot Topic, was one of them.

I glanced back at Bubbles again, who was now standing in front of me, staring and covering her mouth with both hands. She looked like she was on the brink of tears.

"…R-really?" I said finally, and it sounded weird to break the stunned silence.

"Oh my God, are you _kidding_ me _?_ " She snatched my hand. "You _have_ to see yourself! Come on!" She dragged me over to the three way mirror on the nearest wall, and I had trouble keeping up with her in the six inch high heels she had shoved on my feet.

See...myself? Would it really be me in the mirror this time? Because I wasn't sure if I even knew who I was these days. I tried to tug my arm back from Bubbles' grasp.

' _Blossom,'_ my conscience spoke up. ' _You have_ got _to give your sisters more credit than that._ '

My stomach churned guiltily, and I tentatively let Bubbles drag me the rest of the way. I was so nervous. Really, truly nervous. I didn't think there was any help for me, the way I looked. Could they have really made me look-

"Okay, open your eyes!" I heard Bubbles say impatiently.

I hadn't even realized I had my eyes squeezed shut. "I…I don't know Bu-"

"Come _on,_ Blossom, you need to trust me on this! Just open your eyes!" Her tone was even more impatient now, and so I cautiously and slowly opened my eyes.

The girl standing before me had another somewhat unfamiliar face. I had not seen her before, but somehow she looked the tiniest bit familiar. Her luminous natural red hair fell to her elbows in length, twisting in voluminous, layered waves. Soft, straight-across bangs covered her forehead, and closer layers fell to her chin and collarbone, framing her stunning face. Her eyes were a shocking bright pink, and thick, long, dark eyelashes framed them. Her lips were full, and they shined a glossy, innocent light pink. Her cheeks seemed to be faintly stained pink as well.

She wore a fuchsia babydoll tube top that fell in fancy ruffles to her hips, and a wide white ribbon was tied across her ribcage area. The color stood out against her creamy, fair skin, and the result was dazzling. Around her neck was a giant, shiny, black glass heart on a chain, and it hung near the top of her shirt. She also wore a black mini skirt, which ended about six inches above her delicate knees. On her small feet she wore bright fuchsia high heels to match her top, and they made her calves flex.

I stared at the girl incoherently, and she stared back. I blinked rapidly, and my mouth seemed to be stuck wide open. She was sinfully beautiful. I felt self conscious to even be standing on the same continent as her. Then my sister shook me into reality.

"Blossom!" She jerked me back and forth, and as I continued to stare ahead at the girl, she was being jerked too.

"Blossom, snap out of it!" Buttercup said, suddenly by my side as well. She snapped her fingers in front of my face several times, and a hand appeared in front of the girl's face as well.

I tore my eyes away from her and turned to Buttercup. There was no way. "T-that's…" I pointed at the mirror. "T-t-that's... _?_ "

Buttercup smirked back at me, nodding her head. " _Yes_ ," she said slowly. She brought her hand to squeeze my chin and she twisted my face towards the mirror again. "See?"

I stared at the reflection again. I couldn't believe it. _That_ girl was _me._

' _Look at how beautiful you are!'_ My conscience encouraged me enthusiastically in the back of my mind. ' _Didn't I tell you?'_

I just couldn't believe it. I never believed I could look like…this. I never really had confidence issues before this, but I still never thought…

"Aww, Bloss! Darling, don't cry!" My blue eyed sister interrupted my thoughts again. Even as she told me this, though, tears ran down her face. "You'll ruin your makeup!"

I didn't realize I was crying, but it was okay. This reaction had become my best friend over the past few months, so it wasn't like it was foreign to me. However, these tears felt different, tears I hadn't cried in an unbelievably long time. They were happy tears.

**-End Flashback-**

* * *

Today, I was wearing the same outfit that I had gotten that day, so obviously, that wasn't the part I was most nervous about.

The thing I was nervous about was the people. Those judgmental, mean, spiteful people. During the end of my sophomore year before this summer, life was living hell.

After the whole Princess thing on that terrible day, she apparently hadn't had enough of my misery. At school, she escalated everything further. People were already more cautious of me to begin with, and she very cruelly decided to make it worse. While I was in my most sensitive, fragile state, she started spreading rumors about why I had attacked her, and why I had become so quiet and withdrawn at school. The ridiculous rumors varied from killing more people like I ' had almost killed her', to even more ridiculous school assassination plans.

Despite the fact that everyone had grown up around me, and that they had always hated Princess, they _believed_ her. That's probably the part that killed me the most; they would rather believe anything Princess said than trust me. Since then, her already huge popularity skyrocketed. She became queen of the school, some sort of "legendary" figure for surviving a Powerpuff Girl attack. Meanwhile my sisters and I became the outcasts, the unwanted freaks. But my sisters stood by me the entire time, even though they lost all of their friends in the process.

This morning, as I chatted with Bubbles over breakfast as Buttercup brooded in her own thoughts, she assured me that this year we would gain back those friends we lost, and _then_ some. I was still pretty angry over what had happened, but even so, I wished that I could have friends again. Part of me hoped that she was right, and I hoped that maybe by now people had forgotten everything that had happened.

#

'Not again,' I groaned mentally. My sisters and I stood at the front entrance of the school, and we found ourselves being stared at _again_. People had stopped in the middle of their conversations, even turned completely around to see us. They froze where they were, as if they were afraid to move. Some whispered to ones that were close to them, others just gawked.

People had started looking at me again, and I still wasn't used to it. It was unnerving, and it made my stomach flutter with anxiousness. Especially considering where we were, and what I'd gone through the last time we were here. I sighed. What was the deal? Had Princess said something again? More rumors or something?

We started to make our way to the wing where our lockers where, with me in the front this time. As we walked through, suddenly, I wasn't as nervous as I felt before. I couldn't put my finger on why, but I was beginning to feel a bit self-assured that things maybe wouldn't be that bad. The further we went, the more confident my strides became. As we went through the first long hallway, people's gazes continued to follow us. Others scrambled to get out of our way.

'What did Princess say this time?' I wondered, rolling my eyes. 'Whatever it was, it must've been pretty bad.'

Finally, we reached the hallway where our lockers were and we set our bags down in front of them. As soon as we started to set up some of our belongings up in them, we were greeted by an enthusiastic voice. Well, I guess I was first. "Oh em _gee_ , Blossom!"

I turned, and there I saw some vaguely unfamiliar faces. One girl had waist length jet black hair, the second had auburn hair in a pin-neat ponytail down to her shoulders, and the last had curly dark brown hair cut short to her chin. I wasn't sure how to react, so I smiled weakly. "…Hey!" I tried to sound convincing, but I guess I didn't, because the three girls I didn't know giggled at me incredulously.

"You don't recognize us? The end of school wasn't _that_ long ago!" The girl with black hair joked, and she paused for my reaction, but I just stared at her. "It's me, Crystal, remember?"

"And Aimee!" The girl with curly dark hair chimed in. She had a high child-like voice, and her round brown eyes sparkled when she spoke.

"And Victoria," The girl with the ponytail said, a lot quieter than Aimee had. I noticed she had rectangle shaped black rimmed glasses.

Glasses? Victoria, Victoria, Victoria…Aimee…Crystal? _Click_.

"Whoa!" I blurted suddenly, startling Victoria. I held my arms for a hug. "Guys! Hi! I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you." They met me in a giant group hug. These girls had been some of my close friends last school year, up until the incident. What had happened after that? My memory was so clouded with all the sadness and the loneliness of my summer. I knew for sure that they had never called me over the summer, but as for what had actually happened between us, I didn't really remember…

"We are _so_ sorry for ditching you, Blossom!" Aimee broke from the hug to look at me, and suddenly her eyes were brimmed with tears. "I don't know what we were thinking. It was so mean of us! We're so sorry!"

"Yeah, I can't believe we did that. So horrible." Victoria said in her quieter tone, breaking from the hug. "We wanted to apologize to you over the summer, but you never answered our calls." Oops.

"We want you back. Will you forgive us, Bloss?" Crystal was the last one to break the hug, and she looked genuinely sorry as well.

Whatever they'd done or said exactly, I couldn't remember, but they seemed to be really regretful. I had some great memories with these girls otherwise, and if I had lost the chance to have some friends again for this school year, I would feel...sad. And besides, here they were, apologizing to me openly and admitting they did me wrong. Couldn't I forgive them?

I looked over to my sisters for their reaction, and their faces seemed wary(especially Buttercup's), but after glancing at each other and exchanging some whispers, they nodded at me. I turned back to my former friends, and I smiled at them. "Of course, I love you guys. Let's be friends again."

All three faces brightened tremendously when I said this, and I got squished in a group hug again.

"Oh, Blossom!" Aimee exclaimed, burying her face in my shoulder. It sounded like she was crying. "We love you too!" I patted her head awkwardly. I had forgotten how excitable she was.

' _Cute, though._ ' My conscience said.

We broke the hug, and Victoria asked me in her small voice, "What class do you have first, Blossom?" She straightened her glasses.

"Um," I paused, digging through my white hobo bag for my schedule. I found it, and it was folded about 6 times for some reason. Nerves must have really gotten to me earlier that morning. "Science with Mr. Nelson."

"Oh!" It was sort of funny how even though the interjection was an excited one, she didn't seem very excited when she said it. Mentally, I reminded myself that she was very shy. After she said this, she paused and seemed to collect herself, her face flushing slightly. "I have that too."

I smiled at her. "Awesome! We should sit together."

She seemed shocked that I even said such a thing, then her look of shock turned into mild excitement. "Okay!" She agreed. But the end of her agreement was overshadowed by another familiar, whiny voice.

"Well, well. Look who decided to show her face here again. Guess she finally left her house." Three snooty giggles chorused. Probably her usual entourage. "I'm surprised you haven't moved to Citiesville by now."

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then turned to face the owner of that dreadful voice. Her red hair had new blonde highlights in it, but other than that, she looked exactly the same, scandalous wardrobe and all. She narrowed her eyes at me, black and beady. Like a rat. I looked at her evenly. "I don't plan on moving anywhere, Princess." I paused to sneer at her. She sneered back. "Now, what do you want?"

"Whatever. I just wanted to come and tell you that _just_ because you're suddenly half presentable, doesn't mean you're going to be Miss Popular again." She paused to look me up and down with a disgusted curl of her collagen-enhanced lips. "Everyone at this school hates you and your bitches of sisters. Never forget that." And with a flip of her overly processed hair, she strut off with three girls behind her, who also glared at me.

Immediately, Crystal was in front of me again. "Don't listen to her, Blossom." She looked enraged, maybe even more than I was. Her entire face was red, and she was trembling. "She's just jealous because you and your sisters are a hundred times more beautiful than she is! Than she could ever be! Even with all the plastic surgery her dad buys her!" Her voice had gone through several octaves, and people were staring. Aimee tried to calm her down by pinching her shoulder muscles.

Victoria whispered to her, "Crystal, calm. Breathe." Crystal huffed in response. Her angry response surprised me, but it was also reassuring to me. I wouldn't have to regret forgiving them after all. They were definitely on our side.

Bubbles laid a reassuring hand on Crystal's shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much. She's been out to get us for years, so now it won't make much of a difference anyway." She smiled brightly at her, and Crystal seemed to calm down a little at her words. She smiled back.

The warning bell rang.

Buttercup, who had been watching this whole exchange with an annoyed look on her face, roared, "Oh, shit!" She sprinted the opposite direction we stood.

"See you at lunch!" Bubbles shouted after her with an irritated tone.

"Um," Victoria's murmur was so quiet, I didn't hear her until she repeated herself a little louder. I turned to face her. She jumped at my sudden movement. "I think we should probably start walking to Science now."

I glanced around the hallway, and it was nearly empty. I laughed at myself for being so oblivious. "Right, right. Sorry!"

She nodded her head quickly in response, and started walking at a quick pace towards the South stairwell. I started after her, and I had to lengthen my strides to catch up with her. For a human girl who was a little shorter than me, she sure could walk fast.

"Okay, _bye_!" Bubbles called after me this time, irritation clearly in her voice now. I grinned at her over my shoulder in apology and she and Crystal waved at me as they headed to their first period class.

#

"Okay, people. As you all know, I'm Mr. Nelson, because it says that on your schedules. And I won't write my name on the board like in Elementary School, I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Low chuckles filled the room, and the tension that consumes the first few days of school eased at least a little bit. I always liked sarcastic teachers. 'I think I'll like this class,' I thought to myself.

Mr. Nelson seemed like he was in his mid thirties, and brown, skeptical yet comically bushy eyebrows arched above his green eyes. A wide, excited looking smile rested on his face. "All right now, since I'm required to, let's take role first."

I didn't really bother listening to the voices throughout the room saying 'here' or, 'present', or even just a grunt of acknowledgment, because just a few names in, I tuned it out, knowing I would be dead last anyway. I glanced around the room, and there were at least two dozen giant plants in various places around the room. It very much suited the subject we were going to be learning. Over by Mr. Nelson's desk, there were various versions of Coca Cola bottles, including the ones that they release over the holidays. Over on the edge of his desk, there was a half-drunken Coke by a new unopened one. I glanced over at him again, and it seemed like his eyebrows raised higher with every name. I mentally chuckled.

"Blossom Utonium?"

I snapped back to attention. "Here," I responded in a clear tone, and some people turned their heads to look at me. Their faces look like something between shock and confusion.

"Ah, Miss Utonium. I've heard a lot about you." He paused to grin at me. I cringed when he said that, but I looked at his expression, and it wasn't one of pity. He looked at me respectfully. "I'm glad to have you in my class." I was so abashed that I didn't know what to say, so I just smiled in return. He paused again, straightened the silver wire rim glasses he wore, and looked down at his list again. "Hmm. Well, I was told that in this class we would have a student that was new to the school this year." He looked up from the paper and scanned the room. "Anybody new?"

Everyone looked around the room as well, but nobody raised their hand or spoke up.

"Hmm, interesting. Oh well, maybe they'll show up tomorrow. So," He slammed the papers on the front podium and gripped the edges of it. The overly excited smile appeared again. "Let's get to talking about Earth Science."

#

"Blossom, over here!"

I squinted my eyes to look through the vast hordes of teenagers sitting at tables to find where my sisters' voices came from. Eventually, I saw Bubbles standing up on her chair, flailing her arms at me. The chair didn't help much though, because she's pretty short. I made my way towards her, and it was like parting the Red Sea again. I tried to ignore it the best I could. As I neared closer, my eyes widened in shock. There had to be at least twelve people sitting at our table.

I set my purse down on the table and sat between Bubbles and Buttercup. "Hey, guys." I greeted, and I got a mix of, 'Hey, Blossom's and smiles in return. I saw a much calmer Crystal, Aimee and Victoria, but who was everyone else? I leaned over to my green eyed sister and nudged her, trying to be subtle. "Who are these people?" I whispered.

"I have no idea who these people are," she replied, but she didn't bother to say it in a whispered tone. Kind of shouted, actually. Well, the entire table was silent anyway. "They just came over and sat down."

"Oh, excuse us!" A boy with short platinum hair spoke up. He stuck his hand out towards us. "I didn't think you would remember us. We weren't that well acquainted last year. I'm Steven." He pointed to everyone else that we didn't know at the table and introduced them to us, but I tuned out the names he told us. All I was focused on was remembering him. Steven...Steven. His name sounded familiar. He looked familiar, too. His sweater vest was bright purple and neon green, and he had slight fuzz on his chin, but it looked neither sloppy or man-boyish. It suited his face.

I was the first one to shake Steven's hand, and then Bubbles shook his hand after I let it go. Buttercup just scowled at his hand, and he brought it back to his side awkwardly. After clearing his throat, he continued. "I would like to apologize on the behalf of all my friends here for our behavior last year," He shook his head, ashamed. "It was inexcusable, Blossom. Nobody deserves to be treated that way." His friends nodded in agreement, in unison.

I heard Buttercup sigh, and I looked over in time to see her eyes roll. Obviously, she was not a big fan of Steven. I glanced back at Steven again, and put on the best smile I could. "Of course I'll forgive you." I just wanted to leave the past behind me. I still didn't remember Steven, but that didn't matter now. New year, new start, right?

He seemed delighted with my response, and his cheeks flushed slightly. "A-Awesome. Cool. Haha." He stuttered, and he suddenly became more interested in eating his sub sandwich.

I suddenly realized I was hungry. I excused myself from the table and took my purse with me. I found a vending machine on the east wall of the cafeteria, by a window. My eyes found that there wasn't much outside that window, just some shrubs and some benches for those who liked to eat outside. I turned my attention back to the vending machine, but just as I averted my gaze, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

Something red.

I quickly looked back, my heart beating irregularly. I even walked closer to the glass barrier. Nothing. But I saw the street better from this angle, and I figured it must have been someone driving their bright red, shiny car back to the campus. And thinking back, I had seen one in the parking lot earlier that day.

I shook my head. Whew. I must really have been hungry, being paranoid like that. That scare had put a damper on my appetite, though. I put a dollar into the dollar-slot and decided that a bag of chips would satisfy me for now.

#

"Well," Buttercup said as she kicked her locker open. "That was an interesting day."

I snorted, "Understatement."

Bubbles chuckled. "Compared to the end of last year, though, not that bad." She shoved a book into her backpack. "I'll take interesting over miserable anytime."

"God yes," I said, chuckling with her. I grunted as I struggled to get my Earth Science and Calculus book into my over-sized hobo bag. All of my teachers had told us to have our books covered by the next day, and my Earth Science and Calculus books now rested with my Spanish 5 and American Government books. As I lifted the packed bag's strap to my shoulder, the lining fabric tore, and I mentally reminded myself to bring a book bag next time. "Yeah," I agreed. "Definitely not as bad as last year."

As we flew home, we discussed the events of the day, as well as the people, and came to the conclusion that things were definitely going to be interesting this year.

We didn't know how right we really were, though.

* * *

**-Unknown POV-**

I hate this. I hate this so much.

It's been 150 days.

One hundred and fifty days since I've held her. One hundred and fifty days since I've kissed her. One hundred and fifty days since I've smelled her intoxicating scent. My entire being yearns for her.

_One hundred and fifty goddamn days._

I saw her today. Just a glance, but I saw her. You would have though I'd never seen her before, the way my body reacted. I thought I was going to keel over. I had to leave, I just need one more day to prepare for this.

She is so beautiful, it _kills_ me.

One hundred and fifty days felt like an entire lifetime to me.

But, tomorrow...tomorrow.

It's coming, and it doesn't matter if I like it or not.


	12. Scars Remain

**Chapter Twelve**

**-Bubbles' POV-**

'Baby blue with lace?

No, navy blue with stripes.

No! Lagoon blue with ruffles!'

I continued my mental battle, holding up numerous tops to myself in my vanity mirror. I had already curled my light blonde hair into soft, wispy curls, and I stayed true to my usual mascara and light eyeliner. I also rubbed some self-tanner onto my skin, but not too much. Orange skin was tacky.

I finally decided on the baby blue scoop neck top with white lace on the stitching, and a put it on along with a white ruffled mini skirt. For shoes, I decided that my pale blue flip flops would look cute enough.

For the past four months, my days had usually gone like this. Wake up, shower, get dressed, breakfast. One action to the next, carrying me to the end of my day, and the cycle began again the next day. These days, life seemed kind of... dull. And everything I did just felt forced.

About five months ago, I experienced the best day of my life.

After that day, though, was the _worst_ five months of my life.

Five months ago, the boy that I was in love with told me that he had fallen in love with me. We spent the night together, talking, holding each other. It felt right. It felt real. It felt like true love. I hadn't even wrapped my head around it that night, and I had been waiting for that moment ever since I met him. Before I knew it, he was gone.

My love left me, and he never came back.

When he told me he loved me and we kissed afterwards, that exact moment, he became a permanent part of me. And part of me became his. No, not just a part. He had all of me. And the moment he left, it's like part of my soul went with him, tearing from me, leaving jagged edges.

I never talked to my sisters about it. I don't think they even noticed. I just forced a smile on my face and feigned happiness. Happiness I could never have again.

I couldn't burden my sisters with my depressing thoughts. They were probably hurting as much as I had been, and if not Buttercup, then at least Blossom. I needed to be there for them, to be strong for them. I needed to be the sunshine in their life, as I always had been before.

With Blossom more in the picture again, though, things had seemed at least a bit brighter lately. Seeing her around again helped me, in a way. Those days she'd locked herself away in her bedroom were some of the loneliest days I'd ever had. I'd had Buttercup, of course, but she had seemed so unaffected by what had happened that it made me feel totally lousy. The unemotional way that Buttercup dealt with things made me want to toughen up, too, and to not be such a crybaby. I'd managed to keep it up, but I didn't know how much longer I could keep it all inside.

"Bubbles! Come help me with breakfast!" Professor's voice called to me from down the hallway, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Coming, Professor!" I replied. I looked back at myself in the mirror and groaned in dissatisfaction when I found that some of my eye makeup had run when a few tears had escaped my eyes. Steeling up again, I swiped at the black marks under my eyes with my fingertips, flipped my hair, and I took off downstairs.

–

"This looks delicious, Bubbles!" Professor praised, eyeing my famous eggs benedict in amazement. "You haven't made this in a while. Your sisters will be ecstatic." He gave me a small side hug and smiled down at me. "What's the occasion?"

I shrugged and smiled back. "Nothing special, I just though it would make their day."

Professor sat back in his kitchen chair and unfolded the newspaper. "Oh, honey. You're such a sweetheart. You take care of your sisters so well."

I chuckled a little and started fixing myself a cup of coffee. "I try."

For the rest of breakfast, I tried to keep my spirits up. But yet again, my smile was forced. I silently hoped that no one would notice.

–

As I entered the Auditorium for first hour, some of the people that were already there turned to look at me. Some of them murmured to their friends, and I wondered when this kind of stuff would stop. Probably never, at least as long as Princess was there. When I went to go set my book bag down by the stage, I spotted Crystal and I suddenly remembered that she was in drama class too. She was making her way towards me.

While she was, I happened to notice her particular style that day as well. She had on a bright red Hollister zip up hoodie with a black camisole underneath, making her tanned skin pop against it. She also wore dark blue skinny jeans and slouchy black boots. On her neck she had on a plastic, over-sized, red pearl necklace. I very much approved.

"Bubbles!" She greeted me and held her arms out for a hug. I hugged her for a few seconds, then pulled back.

"Hey," I returned her grin. "You look cute today!"

She half-rolled her eyes, half-chuckled nervously. "Oh, please. I look like a hobo next to you." This time, I was the one to roll my eyes.

"O-ho-kay, class! Time to start." The drama director practically sang as she danced into the room, her black curls bouncing around her face. "Another fabulous day of draaaama is about to begin!"

Ms. Danica was our eccentric teacher. She was young, very interesting, and she seemed to wear something more and more unique everyday. Today, she graced a bright pink tutu over her acid-wash pants, and her hair was up in a curly, dark ponytail on top of her head. She kind of reminded me of a kindergarten teacher, but she wasn't at all like Mrs. Keane was.

"Sit down, class, sit down." She said in her sing-song voice, waving her hand at the stage. We all assumed that meant that we should sit down on the edge of the stage, so we all did as such. "Okay, okay, role time!"

Crystal leaned over to whisper, "She is _so_ weird." She shook her head at her. I giggled quietly in response.

Ms. Danica called out the first name on the list. "Mr. Applegaaate!" Well, sang.

"Here..."

While the other's names were called, me and Crystal continued to talk about girl stuff, naturally.

"How did you get your hair so soft looking like that?" Crystal asked me, reaching a hand over to touch my curls.

Feeling flattered that the hard work I'd put into my hair was being recognized, I grinned as I replied, "After I curl it, I shake my head upside down so the strands blend together, and then I use Dove hairspray, because it doesn't make my curls all crunchy-"

"Julie Smith!" Ms. Danica called out, interrupting me.

"Here," Crystal replied grudgingly, flinching at the use of her real name. "I go by my middle name, though."

Understanding flashed across our teachers face, and she nodded. "Right, right. Gotcha. My bad."

I had always tended to forget who Crystal used to be to us. Crystal's family had been out to destroy ours ever since we had to put Harold Smith-her dad-in jail for almost killing Professor. The rest of the Smith family still despised us, but Crystal had realized that the whole family-of-villains thing was stupid and called a truce with us. Her family had grudgingly agreed to it, but just in case, me and my sisters still never go over to her house. Last year, before all the drama had happened, she came over to our house a lot instead.

After calling the truce and renouncing her villain life, Crystal wanted to be a whole new person, therefore going by her middle name. In addition to that, over time, she lost her childhood weight, and her voice went down to natural registers with age. And she had dyed her hair so many colors, I forgot what she had looked like with natural blonde hair.

That explained why Blossom hadn't recognized her at first, last year she'd had red hair that reminded me of Princess. After the whole Princess thing with Blossom, its like the whole school idolized her. Every girl wanted to be like her, like she was some legend or something. In fact, there were so many red heads at school last year, I'm surprised the local hair salons didn't run out of red dye. Our entire school looked like some sort of Princess-worshipping cult.

Ever since yesterday morning, Crystal, Aimee and Victoria had apologized to us seven more times. They really did feel bad, but what I wondered was why they joined Princess's 'following' in the first place. I couldn't help but still feel a little distrustful of them because of that, and I knew I wasn't the only one. Early that morning, I'd caught Buttercup glaring at Crystal when she wasn't looking. It would probably take her the longest to warm up to them again.

Ms. Danica's voice interrupted my thoughts again."Bubbles Utonium!"

"Here!" I replied with a grin.

She returned my smile and put down her checklist. "So, class. It seems that the new student that never showed up yesterday actually showed up today!"

The class stirred at this, everyone curious about who it could be.

"I hope its a boy!" Crystal murmured to me excitedly. I pretended to agree, and I smiled wistfully. I wished I could've been excited too, but I couldn't be. No other boy would ever do it for me.

Ms. Danica continued, "I just got the message from the front office, so he should be here momentarily." She paused smugly at the small growth of excitement from the girls in our class at the word 'he'. "In the meantime, let's do our relaxation exercises for preparation for our practice scenes today! Split up into partners!"

Crystal and I linked arms and walked over to the floor by the west side of the stage. As we stretched and shook our arms and legs to relax, we continued our conversation from earlier. Less than five minutes later, the conversation was completely different. Even though I still couldn't fully trust her, I had to admit that talking to Crystal was really easy. We had so much in common that it was effortless.

"Are you trying out for cheerleading? Princess isn't doing it this year." Crystal said.

I raised my eyebrows at her with real interest. "Seriously?"

"Yeah! Don't you remember during one of last year's basketball games when she broke her nose? She had to get more plastic surgery on it over the summer."

I stifled a laugh. "Oh my God, no way! I don't know, I might actually-"

Ms. Danica interrupted me once again when she clapped her hands together quite loudly. We all quickly learned yesterday that that's what she does when she wants our attention. Crystal leaned to look around me, and I continued facing the opposite direction. Our teacher announced, "Class, class! Our new student is here!"

Girls' gasps filled the room, and I glanced up at Crystal's expression. Her eyes were wide, staring in Ms. Danica's direction, but her jaw was dropped. He must've been some looker. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I had no interest in joining them.

"Bubbles..." Crystal said to me, urgency in her voice. "Oh my God, Bubbles. Look."

"Why?" I sighed.

"You have to look." She was still staring.

"Okay, okay, hold on." I grunted as I arranged my legs out of the split position that I'd been stretching in, and I moved to stand up, still facing Crystal. I looked at Crystal again, and she was still on the ground. It was like she was so awestruck that she was frozen to the floor. I sighed as I turned around half-heartedly. I thought, 'Okay, then. Let's take a look at the stunner.'

When I spun around, it took me a moment for my eyes to focus to find who I was looking for. As soon as my eyes graced the figure of my searching, I froze completely.

Ms. Danica had her arm around the new student, and he was tall and lean, with a shock of tousled blonde hair.

The exact blonde hair of my dreams and nightmares.

I suddenly couldn't feel the ground beneath my feet, and then everything was black.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

"You're done already?" I heard Victoria's small murmur beside me. I looked up from my finished worksheet. We had just gone over a quick review of what we should have learned in our Science class the year before, and then Mr. Nelson had given us a worksheet for it. It was incredibly easy. Well, easy for me anyway. I finished it in four minutes, front and back.

I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah," I paused. "Do you need help?"

Victoria shook her head. "Oh, no, no." She chuckled nervously. "I just forgot how smart you are."

I felt my cheeks burst into a flush. "Thank you," I said. I actually was surprised at how easy it had come to me too, it had been a while since I'd done something educational. It kind of felt good. I shouldn't have been surprised, though. After all, learning was my first love.

Mr. Nelson spoke up suddenly, interrupting the quiet lull the classroom had fallen into. "Hey, guys, I just got a notice from the office that the new guy is here. So, prepare yourselves for an awkward introduction, he'll be here in a few, probably. Unless he plays hooky again." He paused to laugh at the excited giggles of some ditsy girls in the back of the classroom. "Yes, it's a boy. Whoop-de-doo." He rolled his eyes.

I rolled my eyes at them too. I couldn't have cared less if the new student was a guy or not. Boys didn't matter to me anymore. Any boy would just get in the way of my future scientist career. I glanced over at Victoria again, prepared to share a dry look with her over the excitement. To my great dismay, her cheeks were bright red, standing out against her olive skin.

My shoulders sagged. "Victoria, not you too!" I protested.

She smiled shyly. "I know," she shook her head shamefully. "I couldn't help it, I'm sorry!"

I chuckled and mock-rubbed my temples, pretending I was exasperated with her. She laughed too.

"Anyone done with the worksheet yet?" Mr. Nelson said casually, almost skeptically. I looked around the room, and seeing that nobody raised their hands, I sighed and raised mine.

Mr. Nelson looked at me blankly at first, and then shook his head in disbelief. " Really? Well I'll be." He paused. "Here, bring it up. Let me look over it."

I walked over to his desk and handed him the paper. He adjusted his glasses and his eyes scanned over the words on the page. I took that moment to look over the bottle collection on his desk. I also happened to notice a miniature refrigerator underneath his desk. So that's where he got his endless supply of Cokes. "Ms. Utonium, very good job. You have everything right." He put the paper down on his desk and grinned up at me. "I'll keep it here. A plus."

Hearing the words 'A' and 'Plus' together awakened some new-found, familiar life in me. I beamed all the way back to my desk. I forgot the feeling it brought me to get an A on an assignment. The rush was irreplaceable, amazing. It made me feel a little at home. It reminded me of who I was before I'd turned into an empty, lifeless shell.

I sat there at my desk for a while, reveling in my perfect score for a little bit longer, smiling widely to myself.

My amazing mood was killed so immediately in the same five minutes, I didn't even know what hit me.

The sound of the door to the classroom being opened interrupted the quiet again, and Mr. Nelson said, "Hey guys, the new guys' here." I heard him get up to walk towards the door. I don't bother to look, I was too busy doodling in my notebook and marveling over my good-grade high. Immediately the class with filled with low murmurs, giggles and gasps.

I did, however, glance over at Victoria nonchalantly, and I saw that her cheeks where bright red again. She also seemed to be holding her breath. I whispered a quiet reminder for her to breathe, and obediently, her lungs filled with air. Finally a little curious, I sighed and turned my head to look at the newcomer.

And my joyful mood melted away. Rising it its' place was a sudden horror.

My teacher asked, "So, what's your name?"

_Crash._

The sound of breaking glass sounded, muffling the answer. I heard everyone turned to look towards the back of the room, where it had come from. I didn't. I couldn't move. "O-Oh, sorry!" An airy female voice said. I barely heard it. "I dropped my compact, the mirror broke."

I dimly heard Mr. Nelson say, "Oh, that's alright, just clean it up with the broom from the closet."

I still didn't turn to look. All I could focus on was him, the shattering sound made a few seconds earlier. To me, it was also the sound of the small, remaining piece of my heart being crushed.

My stomach twisted violently, and I felt all the blood rush from my face.

Mr. Nelson turned back to him, saying, "I'm sorry, repeat your name again, son?"

"Brick Jojo."

Another violent convulsion in my stomach wrenched through me, and I clutched at it with both hands. I forced my eyes from him, blinking hard, and with the movement, I noticed they started to sting.

_No._

My breathing became irregular, and I hardly noticed Victoria say, "Blossom, are you alright?"

I didn't reply. The pain was becoming stronger, and I slumped over onto the desk. A sob was threatening to escape through my lips, so I squeezed them shut.

_No!_

I stared unseeingly ahead, and my vision blurred slightly. Through the translucent curtain, I saw Victoria standing up, watching me, her face contorted with panic. More voices. "Mr. Nelson...Mr. Nelson! I think there's something wrong with Blossom!"

My vision blurred up more, and now I only saw shadows. Another shadow joined Victoria's.

"Oh boy. Victoria, get her to the nurse. Stat."

I felt my temperature rising, but it wasn't because of the room around me. I squeezed my eyes shut. The noises faded away.

I couldn't breathe.

When I could open my eyes again, I was lying on a cot in a small, curtained space. Victoria was beside me, watching me again, worry lines on her forehead. Her eyes were wide, but she didn't speak. I saw movement in the corner of the space, and I looked to see Crystal there, too. She looked just as worried as Victoria. For a few moments, I tried to calm my breathing, and I stared ahead at the white curtain. Then I finally found my voice. "Are we at the nurse's office?" That couldn't have been my voice. It was too strangled. It was too detached, far away. But it was.

"Yes," Victoria replied softly, looking at me warily, probably waiting for me to have an episode again.

I listened around, and in the space next to us, there was someone else in it. They were sound asleep. The door was closed as well. I was safe. A few moments later, I turned my head to Victoria again, and Crystal was now sitting next to her. They were both staring at me.

I reached my hand out to them, and both took it simultaneously. I spoke in the voice I didn't recognize. "Please, don't leave me."

The searing pain surfaced again, and the nurse's office was filled with my sobs.

* * *

**-Buttercup's POV-**

I burst through the door to the office, huffing to catch my breath.

Professor was standing there at the front desk, and it looked like he was signing us out.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" I bellowed, panic rising in my chest. I had been called to the office, and the explanation was that I was going home. It was only second period, so it couldn't have been a dentist appointment or something like that. There had to be something wrong.

Professor turned to face me, and worry creased his face. He held his hands out in front of him. "Alright, now. Calm down, Buttercup. It's just that your sisters-"

"Whats wrong with them?" I interrupted even louder, my anxiety growing.

Professor continued as if I hadn't interrupted him. "-Blossom seems to be ill, and Bubbles fainted suddenly in her first period class. We need to take them home for analysis."

My eyebrows drew together. We never got human sicknesses, and they seemed to be fine this morning. What had happened? With the force of a slap, something very important occurred to me. I asked with dread in my stomach, "We can't fly home?"

Professor's mouth formed a thin line. "Not this time. We can't take any chances, we don't know their conditions." He paused and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. It didn't help. "I also want to keep an eye on you, just in case."

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. Well, at least I got to have a day off too. I'd be more pissed if they got to go home and I didn't.

But I couldn't focus on that. Whatever this was, this was serious.

–

I sat across from Bubbles' and Blossom's hospital-style beds in one of Professor's many arm chairs. We were down in the basement, in the small hospital ward in his laboratory. Their heart monitors beeped fleetingly, the way our heart beats usually sounded. The pace of our hearts usually startled everyday people, but they were just above normal human speed. We always had to explain that we weren't humans anyway, so our heartbeats wouldn't be humanlike either.

They were both asleep, and Professor had analyzed them. He tried his best to do it while they were sleeping, but he said that it would be much easier when they were awake. So I stayed here with them, watching them stir in their sleep and wait for whatever would happen when they would wake up.

I watched their steady breathing as I quietly tapped my fingertips together. It had been at least two hours since we had gotten home, so they'd been out for a while. I looked over at the windows, and slat blinds kept the light from coming in. Only one artificial light came from one corner of the room. After one last glance at my sisters, I got up and made my way toward the window.

I turned the rotational cord and let some light in. There was barely any light coming down into the window well, and for a moment I wondered why anyone would bother adding windows to a basement at all.

Earlier, when we'd first gotten home, I'd looked out on our street, and nobody was out at all. Nobody walking their dogs, nobody jogging. I'd peered up at the sky, and it was completely gray. Townsville was almost always sunny. I wondered if a storm was coming soon. I turned the cords again, and the small amount of light went away. Then I opened them back up. I repeated this a few times, and then I suddenly heard stirring from one of the beds.

I spun around and saw that Bubbles was looking at me with drowsy, groggy eyes. I smiled slightly and walked over to the bedside. "Hey, Blondie. How are you doing?"

Her mouth twitched strangely, then she looked up at the ceiling. She seemed like she was working up something to tell me. I leaned closer. When I moved suddenly, her eyes twitched to me, as if she'd forgotten I was there for a moment. Then tears overflowed from her eyes, spilling onto her suddenly pale cheeks.

This stunned me, I hadn't seen Bubbles cry in the longest time. I leaned closer, my hands hovering in front of me, wanting to do something about her pain, but I didn't know how. I looked back at her face, and her usually bright eyes were blank, empty.

Finally, she spoke. "Buttercup...they're back."

What she said didn't register, and I gave her a puzzled look. "What? Who? Who's back?"

When she replied, her voice was strained, and if possible, tortured."The Rowdyruff Boys are back."


	13. Fresh Wound

**Chapter Thirteen**

**-Blossom's POV-**

My alarm clock screamed at me to wake up, but I was already awake. I had been for at least three hours, staring at the ceiling, pondering. I didn't get much sleep at all. I couldn't believe what had taken place the last twenty four hours. My day yesterday had started out normally, and it had begun to be a great day. Until it happened.

He came back.

He _came back._ The reason my life had become a living hell, a black pit of depression, and a swirling cyclone of misery had the _audacity_ to return. I couldn't even think straight.

Yesterday, after I woke up in the small hospital ward in the basement, I found my sisters sitting on my bed near my feet and Professor standing up beside me. Bubbles looked terrible. The thick black streaks of mascara running down her face from her eyes gave me a clue first, and then I saw that her eyes were terribly swollen and puffy. Her face was twisted in a horrid troubled expression. I looked at Buttercup after that, and for the most part, she looked normal, sans the deep worry creasing her forehead. Professor's expression looked similar, but also in a way, grim.

They'd explained that while I was asleep, they discussed the matter at hand. They gave me a recap of their discussion and what they concluded. At the sound of his name, it stirred the violent cramping in my stomach again and I leaned over to vomit into the nearby trashcan.

They weren't sure why they were back and _why_ they were going to our high school, but we intended to find out. When Professor had asked my sisters why they were so concerned, they had to tell him everything from that night. Not every single detail, mind you, but the gist of it. I'd looked at Professors face again, and there seemed to be a hint of disappointment he was trying to hide. I didn't blame him. After all, I was expecting a much worse reaction.

I'd also noticed with quiet observation that even though Bubbles had calmed down a lot more, tears still ran continually down her face, and her breath hitched in a silent sob every time Boomer's name was mentioned. At least I finally knew I wasn't alone.

I'd also looked at Buttercup again. I had watched her face, and oddly, she didn't seem to be affected at all. Had she not seen Butch yet? It was definitely possible, there had to be at least 3,000 people in our school. I'd asked aloud if she had. Whenever I spoke, I still didn't recognize my voice.

She'd said that she hadn't, and Professor added that she might still see him, because she had only gone to two classes yesterday, so he could easily be in any of the six classes she had remaining. I had continued to watch her face, and I'd found it strange that her face was blank. Her eyes were blank, her voice was even and emotionless. And when I thought back, she wore this expression constantly. Was she hiding her emotions from me and everyone else? And had she been doing this for a while now? How long? I felt so guilty for not noticing.

Staring at the ceiling, I wanted to vomit again, but there was nothing left in my stomach. I turned on my side, finally looking at the alarm clock on my bedside table.

_6:39 AM_

I was supposed to start getting ready at six. If I started now, I would have to rush, or skip a part of my routine completely. _Or,_ I could just stay home.

But I _hated_ missing school. And I wouldn't have a perfect attendance record at the end of the school year if I did.

But if I went back, I would have to face... _him_ again. Mixed emotions swirled in my head.

First of all, I was completely and utterly confused, the familiar sting of heartbreak in the pit of my gut. Months ago, I had finally opened myself up to him, let him in, and basically let him _have_ all of me. I'd thought he was mine too. I'd thought that I loved him. But in the months of his absence, I wasn't even sure love existed anymore. So, I fought hard to get myself back from the person that I thought abandoned me for good, the person that left my heart vulnerable and left it in the freezing, numbing rain. I'd pushed every thought of him from my mind. I'd tried to think of other things, and eventually I had started making progress.

I started remembering who I was before I put my everything in his hands. I remembered how much I loved learning, how much I loved shopping, and one night I even started dancing in my room and found that I couldn't stop. I had just started getting back to the life I had before.

And then yesterday, it was like none of that progress was worth anything.

I _crumbled_. All of the painful thoughts of him came flooding back when I saw his face, heard his voice. It hurt like none other. All of my efforts were crushed, like he stomped all over my wall of building blocks I had stacked up high over time.

But there was another emotion that I felt. An emotion that I hated myself for.

I realized yesterday that I _still loved him_.

After all the shit he'd put me though. After all the pain, suffering, loneliness, _everything_.

Yesterday, when I saw him, there wasn't just the overwhelming pain and anger I felt. I felt the familiar fluttering in my chest, the blood rushing to my cheeks. Like no time had passed at all.

 _What_ was _wrong_ with me?

I looked at the clock again, and the moment I did, there was a banging at my door. Professor's voice came through. "Blossom! Blossom, honey, you need to get up. You need to go to school today." There was a pause, and he was probably waiting for my reaction. I stayed silent. Then, he started again, sounding defeated, "I made breakfast today. Your sisters are already downstairs." I watched the crack under the door, and his shadow moved away, following the sound of his footsteps.

I lay there for a few more minutes. I _needed_ to go to school. We had to investigate why they were there and what they were up to, and most of all, we had to protect everyone else from them. Nobody knew why they were there in the first place. They could have been planning something dangerous.

Everyone needed me.

I heaved myself out of bed and began getting ready, trying to convince myself that it was like any other day.

–

I dragged my feet down the stairs, clad in a medium-pink Hollister hoodie, white camisole, Bubbles' faded jean Hollister skirt, and white fringe boots. I honestly didn't feel like dressing that cutely today, so I made up for it with pretty makeup. I also spent extra time straightening my hair, making sure every last strand was without any kinks. I went into the half-hour of when I usually eat breakfast, though, so I would probably have to skip breakfast today. Not that it bothered me, I probably wouldn't eat at all today. The empty queasiness still lurked in my stomach, threatening to erupt again.

"Okay, let's go," I called half-heartedly when I got to the kitchen door, and when I started walking to get my new backpack by the kitchen table, I noticed Bubbles stabbing her fork at the full pieces of French toast on her plate. The smile was still absent from her face, that was clear, but something else was different. She had on a generic navy blue hoodie that said 'Townsville High School' in bold forest green letters, and she wore plain low-rise jeans with a plain brown belt. Her hair was also up in a limp ponytail.

I tried to force the lump in my throat to go down. That wasn't my Bubbles. I hesitantly broke the silence again. "Come on, Bubbles. Get your bag."

She got up from her seat obediently, picked up her book bag and put it on her shoulder. Quietly, she walked out the front door, taking slow strides. Buttercup came back from the living room, and she watched Bubbles as well. We exchanged worried glances, and after Buttercup got her backpack too, we followed after her.

–

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

"Bloss, could you stop banging your head? If you keep doing that your brain's gonna fall out."

I looked up at my green-eyed sister from the forest green paint on my locker, that of which I was currently leaving a dent in with my forehead. I sighed, but I still kept my forehead placed on the dent.

"You're awfully calm. Aren't you dreading this at all?" I asked, incredulous at her blank face and calm aura. This wasn't like her either.

Buttercup shrugged in response, and then she replied. "I guess not. It's no big deal, really."

I stared at her. Unbelievable. She stared back, and she shrugged again. Finally, I found words. "Are you serious, Buttercup? Do you see what this has done to me? To _Bubbles_?" I jabbed a thumb in the general direction she had sulked off to a bit earlier. "Don't you care at _all?!_ "

A few people stopped to watch our exchange, and that only made me more angry. I rolled my eyes and glared at them. Here we go again.

Buttercup just raised her eyebrows at me, and then she spoke. "Of course I care. What I said came out the wrong way." She paused, and when she did, Crystal, Victoria and Aimee finally showed up. We both watched them shooing the crowds away, and then she continued, "Of _course_ I care about you guys. But honestly, Blossom, they _left_ after what they did. They obviously didn't mean anything that they said. They didn't want anything to do with us anymore. If they had, they would have at least contacted us while they were gone. But they didn't. All that time, and they never contacted us. They obviously didn't care at all, and they obviously don't still!"

Realization dawned at her words, and I suddenly felt a bit foolish. She was completely right. I bit my tongue.

Buttercup folded her arms, looking at me with a look that said she knew she was right. "So, I'm just doing to go about this the way that we would have handled this three years ago or so. They're the criminals, we're the heroes. Let's save the damn day, already."

Even after I left my sister with Victoria to go to my first class, her words echoed in my head. 'They obviously didn't want anything to do with us anymore. Want anything to do with us anymore. With us anymore.'

What she had said comforted me a little. Even though they stung, they were true. They probably didn't even know we went to this school. Maybe they were there for another reason.

And that meant that it was probably a bad reason.

Victoria and I had walked in silence, and as we approached the door to the science room, I unknowingly held my breath. Victoria looked at me and gave me a small smile. The day before, in the nurse's room, I told her everything. And I mean _everything._ Strangely, I felt I could confide in her. She was a great listener, and I also felt that I owed her an explanation as to why I suddenly fell ill in class. It was a long explanation, but she was very understanding.

She opened the door then glanced around the room, and to both of our relief, he wasn't there yet. We made our way to our seats, and as we both got our books out, she spoke up softly for the first time that morning. "How are you feeling?"

I gave her a small grin for the sincerity of her question. I hesitated before I answered. "...Better, I guess."

She nodded. "That's good."

I thought that might have been the end of our conversation for the morning, but then about a minute later, she spoke up again. "I've..." Her voice trailed off, and I glanced up at her in encouragement to continue. She smiled a little, and she continued. "I've never been in...love...before. But...I know how it feels to be really let down by someone. I'm sorry you've had to go through that."

I smiled at her innocence. She reminded me of Bubbles in that way. "Thanks, Victoria. I really appreciate that you care."

"You're welcome, and I..." Her voice trailed off again, but this time I was already looking at her. Now, she was looking past me toward the door, and her face was red again. Dread bubbled in my stomach.

'It's okay, Blossom.' My conscience encouraged. 'It'll be alright.'

And then began the torture.

* * *

**-Buttercup's POV-**

Third hour.

Third hour was starting in a few minutes, American Government. What if that was the class that...it happened?

I had been marinating on what Blossom said that morning all throughout second hour and first hour. What I had said I partly meant, but one thing I didn't mean. It _was_ a big deal. It was a _huge_ deal. And I had been dreading it since yesterday.

And not only had I felt dread. I was _infuriated._

Those Rowdyruff bastards thought they could just leave us like that? Like hookers on a street corner?

If they fucking loved us so much, they wouldn't just do that to us. If they really had to leave or go somewhere, they would at least contacted us, or _took us with them_. And that's how we know they went someplace, because if they had still been in town, we would have eventually seen them, or there would have been some crime somewhere.

I couldn't believe I had actually _liked_ that gutless dick. I couldn't believe I thought I was falling in love with him.

Buttercup Utonium, in love. _Yeah,_ right.

I just couldn't wait to kick his ass.

–

Five classes had passed in total, and still no Rowdypuss.

It was lunch time by now. Third, fourth, and fifth hour, I didn't pay attention at all. I was practically drowning in rage at this point, and every single scrawny freshmen that got in my way in the hallway felt some of my wrath.

I stopped at my locker, yanking the door open without even bothering to do the combo. I almost ripped it off its hinges. Not like that would have been hard for me, I could have torn the metal in half like cardboard if I wanted to. I suddenly felt an audience, and I looked to my right, where Blossom was watching me with mildly alarmed eyes. Bubbles watched me too, but she didn't seem interested. She seemed far off somewhere else.

"So, Buttercup, what happened to, 'It's no big deal, really.'?"

I almost laughed at her dumb impression of me, but then I remembered I was pissed as hell. I slammed my locker closed, and then kicked it closed again when it creaked open again in protest. I spun to face her. "I don't even think he's fucking here! Not like I give a shi-"

"Buttercup!" Blossom cut me off in a scolding tone. "Language."

I sighed exasperatedly, folding my arms over my chest. "What I'm trying to say is that I've been preparing myself for nothing this whole time." Blossom nodded thoughtfully, and Bubbles still said nothing. I suddenly remembered something else, cutting short the rant of complaints I'd had ready. "Hey, what about you guys? How did first hour go?"

Blossom cringed visibly, and Bubbles shoved her hands in her hoodie pocket. I was beginning to think that I shouldn't have asked when my red haired sister spoke up. "Well, it was pretty bad..." She paused, biting her lip until she almost broke the skin. "...But, we're not in the nurse's office this time, so I guess it went a little better."

Bubbles was still silent, and she shifted her weight onto her other foot. I assumed she didn't want to talk about it.

"That's good, I guess." I replied, and because of my sisters' obvious upset, I felt my anger start to die down. "Well, hey, we should get to lunch."

My sisters nodded, and we walked towards the cafeteria together. I knew I was probably the only one out of all three us that was actually going to eat today.

* * *

**-Bubbles' POV-**

Sighing, I slowly did my complicated locker combination. My red-headed sister next to me sighed as well. We had sat next to each other during our fifth hour class, Spanish, and even walked together, but we hadn't said a word the entire time. That's the thing about Blossom and I, we have an unspoken bond, and we could be comfortable with each other without even saying a word.

We didn't need to speak to each other to know that we were both feeling the same thing.

First hour had been treacherous. I couldn't keep myself from staring at him.

You know, when I thought about it, five months actually wasn't that long of an absence if you compared it to years instead. Even so, it was like I had never even seen him before. Whoever said that distance makes the heart grow fonder was right.

I'd forgotten how _beautiful_ he was. Every feature of his was like an angels'. I couldn't force my eyes away from him.

But it killed me, because he never saw me. He never even glanced at me.

I had dressed plain on purpose. I didn't want attention drawn to me while I felt like this. Whenever I felt like this, I felt ugly. I felt disgusting. So, I guess a part of me was a relieved that he didn't look at me, even though it stung a tiny bit.

But maybe the reason why he didn't see me was because he was distracted. He got approached by a lot of people trying to get to know him. He also got approached by Ms. Danica a lot. Yeah, that's it. He was distracted. I'd just keep telling myself that.

My thoughts came to a sudden halt when my ears were assaulted by a slew of curse words and the horrible screeching sound of a locker being forced open, metal scraping against metal. My eyebrows rose, and my sister and I turned to find that our fiery-tempered, green eyed sister had joined us. I hadn't seen her like that in a while. Had she finally seen Butch? What had happened? She finally realized that we were there, and she stared back, anger still wrenching her face.

"So, Buttercup, what happened to, 'It's no big deal, really.'?" Blossom said, her tone partially amused.

Buttercup threw the locker door closed, and when the door began to creak open again, she violently kicked it shut. She spun to face Blossom. "I don't even think he's fucking here! Not like I give a shi-"

"Buttercup!" Blossom cut her off, scolding her. "Language."

Buttercup sighed impatiently and folded her arms over her chest. She obviously didn't care about the cleanliness of her language. "What I'm trying to say is that I've been preparing myself for nothing this whole time."

So she hadn't seen him. I had to say, though, I was pretty jealous that she hadn't yet. I wished I could say the same. I glanced over to Blossom, and she was nodding thoughtfully. Buttercup suddenly spoke in a much different tone. "Hey, what about you guys? How did first hour go?"

At the words 'first' and 'hour', an empty ache throbbed in my chest. I swallowed against it, and fought the urge to clutch at the dull aching. I shoved my hands into my hoodie pocket. The back of my throat begun to sting, and I forced my eyes down to my shoes, just in case a few tears escaped. I kept my mouth shut, and Blossom did the same. We both noticed that our sudden, tense silence made her fiddle with a string hanging off her green skinny jeans uncomfortably. We both knew that someone had to respond, so Blossom replied.

"Well, it was pretty bad..." Her voice was hesitant. I looked up, and she was biting her lip so hard, I thought the skin was going to break. "...but, we're not in the nurse's office this time, so it went a little better."

Ha, right. Better. If anything, it was much worse. Fainting was pretty bad, but being conscious was even worse, because at least when I'd been unconscious, I could escape from it for at least a few hours. Being awake, I couldn't escape from it. I couldn't escape his incredible, addictive, miserable presence.

It was much, much worse.

Being under both of my sisters' gazes made me slightly uncomfortable, sometimes they could read me like a book. I shifted my weight onto my opposite foot, and my lips stayed pressed together.

Understanding flashed across Buttercup's eyes. "That's good, I guess." Her tone was no longer angry. "Well, hey, we should get to lunch."

Blossom and I nodded in unison, and we all walked to the lunchroom in silence. I took a deep breath, and with the movement, my stomach growled loudly. I _was_ kind of hungry. But I didn't feel like eating, and if I did eat I probably couldn't keep it down anyway.

As we entered the lunch room, we saw Crystal and Victoria waving at us from our (I guess now) usual table. Aimee was also sitting there, but she was too busy gleefully chewing her peanut butter and jelly sandwich to notice us come in. Steven and most of his friends were also there, but I noticed his female friends weren't there like they had been on Monday. I shrugged it off.

After Buttercup bought two slices of pizza, we sat down across from them, and they greeted us with a simple, 'Hey' from each of them. However, it was too simple. I noticed that they kept throwing each other nervous glances. Again, this was strange, but I shrugged this off too. Blossom was more cautious, though. "Are you guys okay?" She asked them, her pale pink eyes scrutinizing their every move.

They all exchanged another quick glance. "Yeah! Yeah, we're fine." Crystal said, nodding quickly, too nervously. She hadn't ever been a good liar. Blossom squinted her eyes at her. "No, really!"

"She knows you're lying." Buttercup said plainly, raising her eyebrows expectantly. She said so without even looking up from her pizza crust that she was picking apart between her fingertips.

I spoke for the first time that day, my voice foggy sounding. "What are you lying about?"

"Just tell us," Buttercup finished for me, shrugging. The three girls in front of us switched their slightly panicked glances from Buttercup, to me, to Buttercup again, then to Blossom. Without warning, Aimee burst into tears.

Simultaneously, there was a wave of feminine giggles and sighs from the west side of the lunch room. As soon as my sisters and I turned around to see the commotion, we saw something.

And the very small part of what was left of my hope and happiness shattered.

* * *

**-Back to Blossom's POV-**

I couldn't believe my eyes.

My sisters and I froze in shock at the sight before us. Buttercup cursed loudly. And most of all...the sickly sting in my stomach had come back stronger than ever.

Brick and Boomer were standing by the west entrance, at least four girls on their arms. A small pond of girls surrounded all of them, almost blocking my view from them. Brick smiled crookedly at them all, and the eruption of giggles sounded again. He _gave_ them the smile.

My favorite smile in the entire world.

At first, I was numb. I blinked, as if the picture would be gone if I opened my eyes again. As if I was hallucinating. But it didn't go away. Instead, my vision was blurred again. This time, I hardly noticed. I could only feel the sickening pain that was ripping me apart from the inside out.

I couldn't even fathom what was happening. I couldn't collect my usually centered thoughts. Was this...was this what he had been this whole time? Was this who I had fallen in love with? No. It couldn't have been. That wasn't my Brick. Where was my Brick?

 _Where_ _was_ _he?_

I watched the sea of girls around him. They marveled at every word he said, and every one of them gazed into his incredible eyes. He reached up to stroke one of the girls cheeks tenderly, his fingertips trailing down to her chin. The crowd suddenly erupted in excited screams. My stomach turned in revulsion. Hot tears spilled onto my cheeks. I heard Bubbles crumble at my feet next to me, her body trembling.

The pain was becoming unbearable, and even though there was nothing in my stomach, I felt like I was going to become sick again.

I had to get out of there. I had to leave.

I spun around and sprinted blindly towards the opposite exit, far away from him, from everyone.

* * *

**-Back to Buttercup's POV-**

"Miss Buttercup, I think you should be getting to your sixth hour class now." The mousy receptionist had said this about four times before, and I ignored her when she said it every single time.

I paced in the front office, my hands clutching my head. I pulled so hard at my hair, a few strands floated to the ground every few minutes. I couldn't leave. My sisters needed me.

And those boys. Those motherfucking players. They did this to them.

My sisters had been pretty bad before, just _seeing_ them again, but _this_? Even I didn't think they would stoop this low. I had honestly just thought they would ignore us and let us move on to our normal lives. Blossom and Bubbles did not deserve this. Thoughts like this swirled in my head, over and over again, repeating themselves.

Then, a deep, booming voice interrupted my thoughts. "Buttercup Utonium, go to class _now_."

I looked to see the source of the voice, our enormous Principal, Mr. Hawking. He was 6'6, very muscular, and intimidating. Of course, I wouldn't ever admit that out loud, but really, I had spent enough time in his office already. I didn't feel like testing what very little patience he had today. I scowled at him over my shoulder and forced my feet to walk out the office door.

I mumbled profanities to myself. I couldn't believe they were forcing me to leave my sisters. I didn't even know if Professor was coming to pick us up this time. Probably not, it was almost the end of the day anyway.

I continued to grumble to myself as I approached History classroom door. My scowl deepened as I saw the teacher glare at me through the door's small window. For some reason, Mrs. Fitzgerald really hated me. It probably had to do with the fact that in the first few days that we've had of school, I haven't been to her class, and the day that I was actually there, I texted my sisters the whole time.

I opened the door, and the entire class proceeded to turn around to look at me.

"It's nice for you to join us, Ms. Utonium," Mrs. Fitzgerald said in the superior voice of a rich old woman. I didn't have to look at her heavily creased face to see that she was being sarcastic. Instead, I watched the critical, shocked, and blank faces of my classmates. They watched me back, and in the process, I noticed something.

On the first day of school, Mrs. Fitzgerald had counted 27 students.

Today there were 28.

I searched for the new face again as I walked to my seat, tension making my stride stiff. And then I saw him.

Rage bubbled in the pit of my stomach like a rumbling volcano, and before I knew it, I erupted like I never had before.


	14. Let The Flames Begin

**Chapter Fourteen**

**-Buttercup's POV-**

The last thing I saw was his smug, narcissistic, emerald eyes before my judgment was blurred by intense, burning ferocity.

Black spots impaired my vision, and all that was left was my other senses.

I felt air whizzing past me as I sped through the air. I heard startled screams mixed in with the sound of chair legs being scraped against the tile floors. I also heard the shouts of...what was my teacher's name? I couldn't think at all at the moment, every one of my veins surged with adrenaline.

I felt my fist collide with the soft flesh of a mouth, along with the sickening cracking sound of teeth being broken.

More screams and gasps sounded.

My other fist collided with an eye. I swung my other fist again, and this time it felt like it crashed into a nose, and the bone underneath snapped with a loud crunch.

Along with the shrieks from all of the females in the room, I heard masculine grunts every time my fists met with skin. I heard an even louder one when I took a roundhouse kick to his stomach, using the heel of my Chuck Taylor sneaker.

More and more adrenaline swelled within me, more than I had ever felt. It fueled my incinerating temper, like flames consuming wood.

I felt a large hand cover my fist, attempting to slow me down. In the same motion, I jerked my hand upwards, and I felt a bone made a satisfying snapping noise. The male grunting turned to a bass-toned shout. That fed my bloodthirsty desire more, and I felt a hissing noise vibrate through my teeth.

Now along with the bloodcurdling screams, I heard a panicked female voice. It sounded like my teacher. "Yes-yes, Buttercup! She's gone mad, and she's beating one of the new students!"

Buttercup...was that my name? I couldn't remember.

The body I was beating fell to the ground. I fell after it, fists moving the entire way. In a fluid motion, my fists unclenched, I reached for where I knew his neck would be. I clamped my hands around the muscular body part, shaking it back and forth. Hacking was heard now, and I felt the trachea and muscles struggling underneath my fingers.

By now, my ears started ringing from the screams. I could barely make out what they were saying.

"She's gonna kill him!"

"Oh my God!"

"We're all gonna die!"

At these statements, I froze completely, numb.

Suddenly, I heard the door to the classroom burst open, slamming into the wall behind it. I continued to stay petrified, and suddenly, I felt my arms being forced behind me. I didn't break the hold.

Full-arm iron handcuffs enclosed on both of my arms, binding them together. Somebody grabbed the back of my collar, yanking me onto my feet. I let them.

I felt a small crackling in my back. Someone was trying to shock me with a stun gun. I let them. I could have told them that it wouldn't work on me, it just tickled. But I didn't, I couldn't make my mouth move to form the words.

Far off in some distance, I heard, "It's not working on her. Just use the animal tranquilizer!"

Moments later, I felt something small pierce my back. A needle, perhaps. It only hurt for a moment, then an eerie numbing sensation followed. But I could hardly focus on that. There was something else that I was stuck on. _Animal tranquilizer_. They had to use an animal tranquilizer on me.

Was that what I was? An animal?

My vision slowly started to return to me. First, the black faded from the outside edges, then worked its way inward towards the middle.

I looked around me. Closer to me were Townsville S.W.A.T. Members, fully armed. They all glared at me through their masks, some glares frightened, some surprised, and others just passive anger. My heartbeat began to slow.

I looked for my classmates, and I found them in the furthest corner from me. They stared back with horrified and perturbed expressions, some of the female members shrinking back behind the male members. Mrs. Fitzgerald stood protectively in front of all of the students, her expression a mix between fear and hate.

I could be sure she hated me now.

Lastly, I looked toward the boy I had beaten. He was sitting up now, staring at me too. His jade eyes were clouded with hidden pain, and they were filled with unprecedented shock. One of his eyes looked badly bloodshot, and it looked as if a black eye was already forming. He held his broken wrist, and his breathing was unsteady. A large rivulet of blood ran from his mouth and down his neck, staining the collar of his shirt. He hunched over, a sure sign of a broken rib.

I looked back over at the stares of my classmates and the officers, and I was sure of it now.

I was a fucking monster.

Almost immediately after I came to this conclusion, my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground. They were numb, and even if I could move them to get up off of the ground, I wouldn't have. Then, my mind became numbed, and unconsciousness washed over me like a dark ocean.

–

I dreamed a vivid dream you could only have in the deepest of sleep.

I was in someplace dark, but it was as if a spotlight was shining on me, because when I looked down at my feet, my body was perfectly visible. Even so, I couldn't see anything around me. It was just black.

I felt the strange sensation of being naked, but upon looking down at myself again, I was fully clothed. Maybe instead it was the feeling of vulnerability. It felt degrading, disgusting even. I'd begun wondering where I was even more, so I moved my feet forward. They slid in place on the invisible ground. I tried again at a faster pace, and it felt as if I was running on a treadmill. I began to panic. Why wasn't I moving forward? Why couldn't I go anywhere? I hated this feeling of being trapped, and not knowing where I was.

I suddenly stopped running. The atmosphere of the place had suddenly changed, and something felt different. What was different?

I instinctively glanced down at myself again, and I found that I was suddenly in different clothes. My black tunic had turned into an apple green and black corset with lace on it, and my green skinny jeans into a plaid, pale green miniskirt with leggings underneath. This was my favorite outfit. Why was I suddenly wearing it?

Abruptly, the uncanny silence turned to earsplitting noise. I jumped, and I moved to cover my ears with my hands. I looked around frantically, and I still couldn't see anything through the darkness. Seemingly nothing was making the loud noises that swirled around me.

Then, joining the spotlight, lights of red, deep blue, and dark green shone on my skin. For some reason, the colored lights were warm. At first, it was sort of a comfortable warmness, because the space around me was cold. Then, the lights got warmer. And warmer still. I began to feel uncomfortable. They kept getting hotter and hotter...

Then they scorched my skin.

I tried to leap away from the lights, opening my mouth to let out a pained yelp. But my muscles wouldn't listen, and out of my mouth came no sound except for the silent whoosh of breath. The burning of the lights was, for a few moments, unbearably hot-and then I was suddenly unfeeling and cold. Seeing movement from the corner of my right eye, I froze.

Strong arms wrapped around me closely, and soft lips caressed my neck.

Breath constricted in my lungs. I knew who it was, I didn't even have to turn around to look at his face to know. I recognized him by the mere way his body fit against mine. The noise had faded away, and it was quiet. Then I heard one voice from far away.

_Damn it, Buttercup!_

Someone was calling me. Who was calling me?

_You just don't get it, do you?_

Were they talking to me?

_Whenever I see you, or when I hear your voice or...hell, even just hearing your name…I just...I just want to jump off of a cliff without flying, just to see if the rush even compares to what I feel when I see you._

What did it mean?

_You make me want to scream at the top of my lungs about you until my throat is raw, u_ _n_ _til the whole world knows._

The voice sounded so desperate. And this sounded familiar. Where had I heard this before?

_Every time I make you bleed…I want to shove a knife though my heart so I can't hurt you an_ _y_ _more. When you look at me, or even when you're insulting me and screaming at me, my heart speeds up, and I can't slow it down._

The boy behind me let me go, then turned me completely around to face him. His fierce green eyes bore into mine, and I felt naked again. This time though, I knew I wasn't. In his gaze, I was vulnerable.

"Do you get it now?" The boy said this in a gentle tone. It was also the same exact time the voice in the background said it, and their voices matched perfectly. It was him. Of course it was him.

He wrapped his arms around me again. I wanted to tear my eyes away and run as fast as I could from him, but I was still frozen. It was like my muscles didn't work anymore. And I couldn't look away. But as much as I hated to even think it, even if I could've looked away, I probably wouldn't have.

He was _so damn incredible._

But I wanted to dismember myself for even thinking that. He was my sworn enemy, he always had been. One night shouldn't have changed that. His brothers broke my sisters' hearts. It was _absolutely_ not okay to think those things. But there had been something that my subconscious had hidden from me and everyone else in the world since he left, and I finally realized it now.

Butch broke my heart, too.

Abruptly, as if he had been reading my mind, Butch jerked away from me. Without warning, I could move again. He held his hands up defensively in front of him, and his eyes were wide. Maybe even fearful. Why was he acting that way? I watched him in confusion. Had I done something wrong?

Then, his right wrist convulsed violently, breaking, and then his hand flopped downward lifelessly. His head jerked back, his left eye forced shut, and when he opened it again, the white of his eye was reddened. He hunched over too, and he brought his other arm to cover his midriff. I watched in horror, my expression mirroring his. It seemed as if someone invisible was beating him up. I reached in front of me, but as soon as I did, his head jerked back again. I brought my hand back, and as I did, his face turned to me again.

Blood flowed from his mouth.

Panic rose in me, now. I wanted to make it stop, I didn't want him to be in any more pain. Not now.

Then, numbness overtook me again. Just when it came back, Butch moved away from me, and he moved fluently, as if someone pulled him towards them with a rope. And then he called to me. "Promise me you'll always remember what I said to you."

His voice faded into the distance, and he was gone. Then I couldn't feel anything.

–

When I opened my eyes, my eyelids still felt heavy.

I became aware that I was lying down in an unfamiliar place. I sat up, and I saw white everywhere.

Well, I knew I wasn't dead. And I couldn't have been asleep again, because I could move, unlike my dream. As I sat up, my head spun a little. I tried to move one of my hands to grasp my head, but they were bound in heavy iron. Then, everything flowing back to me, I remembered. I remembered the blind rage, the screams, the crackling, then the unconsciousness...and him. I saw the room I was in with new, enlightened eyes. It was a large, padded room.

I was in the padded cell in Townsville jail.

I became aware that I wasn't alone, and there were ten S.W.A.T. Members from earlier, lining the walls. They looked at me cautiously, some cocked their guns.

I was in jail. Buttercup Utonium was in _jail_. They didn't know how to contain me, so they brought me here?

No. I shouldn't have lost control in the first place. This was all my fault. I should have...but wait. What about my dream? I remembered...

_No._ I couldn't think about my dream. I could never think about my dream _ever_ again. But even as I thought this, scenes from that goddamn dream played over and over again.

I felt a meltdown coming on.

I slumped over. This was too much. Too many emotions at one time. I hated feeling overwhelmed.

I brought my head up and dropped it harshly and repeatedly onto the padded ground, wishing it would hurt so I could have something better to cry about. My steady breathing turned into sobs. They were the kind of sobs that are so filled with pain, they don't make a sound.

Curling into a ball, I brought my knees up to my chest, and I buried my face in my knees, hoping nobody would notice the tears streaming from my eyes.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

Professor paced back and forth, and he gripped the phone he held harshly as he spoke into it.

We were currently in the front lobby of Townsville Jail. I had to say, I'd never been at a jail to bail someone out before, let alone my own sister. Bubbles and I sat next to each other in generic waiting room chairs, both leaning on the same armrest. Bubbles rested her head on my shoulder. We watched Professor dully. We were both physically and emotionally worn, and I honestly didn't know how much more we could take.

At noon today, happiness disappeared.

I had a lot of time to think everything through, and I decided Buttercup had been right. They didn't care. They didn't care about us at all.

To Brick, I had just been another girl on his arm. I thought back to the crowd of girls around him and wondered how many of them he was planning on dating the final two years of High School. He could probably date all of them, after all, he had gotten me in just one night. My stomach heaved, and I felt so foolish. I hated feeling like a fool, I wasn't a fool.

But he had made a fool out of me.

I couldn't believe I actually believed every word he said. I threw all of my trust into him, and I just _let_ him _have_ me.

So, I guess in a way, this awful day was a kind of closure. I had spent all that time worrying about when he would come back, if he still loved me. I wondered if he would take me back after all the time. Even the smallest part of me thought that even _maybe_ he enrolled at our school to see me again.

Now, I knew for sure. He didn't want me. There wasn't any more mystery. I could sleep at night now.

Part of me still longed to believe that it wasn't true, but there wasn't anything I could do about it now. I guessed this was the end, just not the one I was wishing for. But, what good was wishing anyway? I just wanted this pain to end.

Earlier, we'd had to explain to the police-and to the school-that Buttercup had beat up one of our enemies, and that the said enemy was one of the Rowdyruff Boys. Of course the police remembered the Rowdyruff Boys, so they understood. However, they told us they couldn't release Buttercup until they got the okay from the school.

Currently, Professor was still on the phone with the Superintendent of the school. "Yes, sir, I can absolutely guarantee you that Butch Jojo will be just fine tomorrow. Yes, guarantee. Well, sir, the Chemical X makes him superhuman. Yes, just like the girls. Yes, I know that the girls were instructed not to use their powers at school, but it was just a misunderstanding." About five minutes more of reassuring the other man on the phone, Professor hung up. He glanced at us and gave us a soft smile.

He had felt awkward about taking us home earlier, before Buttercup's outburst, because this time he knew we weren't really sick. Lovesick, maybe. It was not only awkward because he didn't know how to comfort us, but also because he had never been good at boy advice in the first place. He was a scientist, not a teen advice columnist.

About three minutes later, an officer finally emerged with our sister.

As soon as I saw her, I knew immediately that she'd had an emotional breakdown. She had few before, but I could recognize the signs easily. She had puffy eyes, and her eyebrows formed a permanent, unreadable line above her foggy eyes. Her makeup was smeared onto various placed on her face. And, for the first time in months, I could actually see emotions in her eyes. She wasn't hiding them.

It didn't take a genius to know that her repressed emotions had finally caught up with her. In a way, at least now I knew that Bubbles and I weren't overreacting. It was easy for Bubbles to get upset, and a little tougher for me to get upset, but if something made Buttercup this emotionally unstable, it was obviously a big deal.

"Here she is, Mister Utonium." The bright-eyed, jolly officer said with a Dallas-sized smile. "Sorry about that misunderstandin'."

Professor smiled politely back. "Not a problem, Jimmy. It's all settled now. Thank you."

Buttercup stared at Bubbles and I during their entire exchange, and we stared back at her. I was the first to take a step forward, and Bubbles followed, taking my hand. Buttercup stepped forward to meet us, and at the same time, we all hugged each other tightly.

None of us said it out loud, but we all knew.

It was going to be okay.

* * *

**-Bubbles POV-**

I sighed silently, the cool night air caressing my hair. I pushed random pieces behind my ears. Professor had driven us home, and I had gone out onto the back porch, seeking fresh air. I seriously needed it after that horrendous day.

I forced my lungs to inhale again.

So, this was it. This was life without Boomer. I mean, _really_ without him. Before, he was gone, but there was always that hope that he would return to me. But this was official. I could never have him again.

I had hoped that while he was gone, he'd still thought about me as much as I thought about him. I hoped that what he said was really true.

He didn't really care. _He didn't love me_.

I couldn't cry anymore. Life seemed meaningless now. I didn't want to end it, I mean, I wasn't suicidal. But was this how life would always be like, forever? Sure, I could get married, have kids...maybe, if me and my sisters were capable of having kids, I'd never really thought about it. Even if I married someone else, it wouldn't be my true love. Nobody would ever be as amazing as he was.

But it was selfish to want him like I did. I could never want him the way I did ever again.

I looked back up at the stars above me. The some of the stars were covered by mist-like, thin clouds, and the bright moonlight reflected off of them. The sky was gorgeous, but not as beautiful as that night.

I shook my head. This was going to be hard, to try and get over him. But, obviously, it was what he wanted. If he wanted ten girlfriends, fifteen girlfriends, twenty even...then I'd just have to accept it, if that was what made him happy. I just wanted him to be happy. Maybe one day I could be happy again, too.

The night sky was starting to sting me with its' memories, so I turned away from the view, and went back into the warm house.

* * *

**-Elsewhere, Unknown POV-**

'I can't keep this up much longer.

I can't stand to see that look on her face, seeing me do this.

I almost gave in today, and today was only the second day. I can't handle this, I can't...

I _need_ her.'


	15. Only Time Will Tell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own ANY of the Romeo and Juliet lines. I got them from the modernized translation of it on Sparknotes. It's part of their 'No Fear Shakespere' collection. But no balcony scene, I promise.

**Chapter Fifteen**

**-Blossom's POV-**

Bubbles and I entered our High School once again, and the same stares took on a different meaning.

Because of Buttercup's outburst the day before, the school decided to have an assembly to explain to the student body why it happened. They also told Professor -in Buttercup's best interest, of course- that she should take a day off from school. By the time she came back, they hoped, the whirlwind of gossip would die down.

Before Bubbles and I had left for school, Buttercup had been absolutely silent, just as she had been the day before, after she had been set free. We had tried talking to her, asking her to talk to us about everything, but she had just turned away, shaking her head. "She'll come around," Professor had assured us before he waved us goodbye from the front door.

I hated to leave her so vulnerable, but I thought far back to our childhood when she had lost her lucky green blanket. She had insisted she couldn't fight without it and had a catastrophic emotional breakdown. Soon afterwards, though, she finally pulled herself together and was able to fight just as well without it. Professor was right. She'd be okay. She just needed time to herself, time to regroup and calm herself down.

At school that morning, the entire student body was staring my blonde sister and I down, shock and wariness across their faces. We just ignored the looks. Honestly, after the week we'd had, we were getting used to all of the attention by then, and it really didn't feel that weird anymore. This wasn't anything we couldn't handle.

Crystal and Victoria were already at our lockers when we arrived there, waiting for us. "Hey guys," Crystal said in a tone that I _knew_ was pity, but I chose to ignore her tone.

I forced a small smile on my face. I looked past Victoria's shoulder. "Where's Aimee?"

"She got a cold," Victoria spoke up, and her voice was quieter than normal. Looking closely at her face, I could see some pity there, too. I nodded in reply and got my Science book from my locker.

I heard the door to Bubbles' locker slam shut, and she mumbled toward me, "See you." I looked up just in time to see her straight, gleaming blonde hair flowing behind her as she retreated to the Auditorium for her first class.

"Love you," I called after her in a normal volume, not wanting to draw any more attention than I already had. She responded by throwing me a small smile over her shoulder. I turned back to Crystal. She looked visibly upset as she watched people stare at me and whisper as they walked past.

"Crystal," I forced another smile, hoping that I looked fine. "Just ignore them. Don't worry about it."

She shook her head as suppressed, angry tears formed in the ridges of her blue eyes. As she spoke, her teeth clenched. "I hate them."

I glanced over at Victoria, whom always seemed to have a worried expression on her face in general, but she looked even more worried today, even concerned.

I emphasized, "Really, guys. I'm fine." I began walking towards Mr. Nelson's classroom, staring ahead unseeingly. I felt Crystal and Victoria's gazes follow me as I walked away, then I heard Victoria's rushed footsteps behind me. Really, I was okay. I was going to be okay.

Buttercup wasn't the only one that needed time.

* * *

**-Bubbles' POV-**

I stalled in front of the entrance to the auditorium. Well, there it was. The room of torture.

And my last moments of numbness before the pain began again.

I took in a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I needed to do this. If I couldn't even go to my first period class without fainting or running out of the room crying, I would never be able to get through this. I had to get through it. I was a super heroine, this shouldn't have been so hard for me to do. I just had to be brave. I could do this. I could do this.

I put my hand on the handle, and I paused again, taking one more deep breath and letting it out slowly.

Finally, I opened the door, and a sea of voices greeted me. As I walked in down the middle aisle to put my bag by the stage, I examined the room around me.

Ms. Danica stood on the edge of the stage, talking to one of my classmates animatedly about something. One big group of guys stood together, agitation on their faces. Then, on the opposite side of the room, Boomer sat in one of the audience chairs, and twelve different girls in our class surrounded him. My throat tightened. To be honest, I had been expecting to see the ocean of girls from the day before, so seeing just twelve now didn't seem as bad.

But it still stung.

I tore my eyes away, but I still had to walk past the noisy group. As I did, I heard his deep, amused laughter, then his voice. "Haha, thanks. You're quite beautiful yourself." The group of girls chorused in giggles.

My stomach crawled sickly. His tone had sounded overwhelmingly arrogant. I was disgusted. Somehow, my feet were still able to carry me to the stage. At least the attention was surrounding him instead of me this time. No one paid attention to me as I sat down on the edge of the stage, trying to push down my nausea.

That is, except for Crystal. I hadn't noticed her walking up to me until she plopped down next to me, sitting on the edge of the stage so that her legs dangled off the side of it like mine were. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders in an embrace. I looked up at her, and she smiled at me warmly. "Forget about that stupid asshole. He doesn't deserve you anyway."

I couldn't help but smile back at her. She had always been a really great friend. "I know," I said, but even as I did, I questioned if I truly believed it, my smile fading from my face.

Maybe I _was_ too foolish that night. Maybe I was just caught up in the passion, and I couldn't think clearly. I couldn't believe I'd been so naive and careless with my own heart. Why had I even thought that he could have feelings for me? Maybe he was incapable of it. Maybe it had really just been all a game to him, and I'd fallen for it instantly.

My stomach stirred in shame. I couldn't fix it now. It was too late. It was in the past. It was time to move on.

"Okay, everybody. Warm up time! Then, prepare for our practice reading!" Ms. Danica's voice rung out in a high soprano-like tone, interrupting the ring of feminine giggles from a particular side of the room. Crystal took my hand and we silently walked to our normal warm up spot in the Auditorium.

As we began to stretch, Crystal spoke up again. "So, I think I heard someone say we were doing a romantic reading today."

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Wonderful." Just what I needed.

Crystal offered me a sympathetic smile. "If you need to go to the nurse, just let me know. I'll take you in a heartbeat." She raised her eyebrows at me. "And, _please_ no more fainting. You nearly gave me a heart attack earlier this week."

Again, the muscles in my face responded with another smile. "Don't worry about that. I'll be fine."

She looked at me warily, but before I had time to reassure her, Ms. Danica shouted her announcement again. "All right, everyone onstage! It's time for our practice reading!"

Everyone sluggishly shuffled their feet up the steps to the stage, and the large group of boys and large group of girls finally split up. Meanwhile, our excitable teacher rushed backstage. Her choice of the unique accessory of the day, sparkling red fairy wings, bounced with each step. She emerged from the back curtains with a medium-sized brown box filled with thick, leather covered scripts. She dumped the contents of the box on the floor, and she glanced back up at us with a mischievous grin on her face. "Today we're doing something much different than the plays we've been doing so far, and I'm quite sure you've heard of it before."

My classmates exchanged confused glances while Crystal and I silently exchanged knowing ones.

Ms. Danica said, with barely contained excitement, "Today, my beautiful students, we are going to be reading scenes from Romeo and Juliet."

Some groans sounded from the males of the class, and some squeals and giggles came from the females. I groaned along with the boys. Seriously, Romeo and Juliet? How cliché was that?

" _So_ ," Ms. Danica continued impatiently. We were quickly learning that she hated being interrupted. "Everyone get a script, and I'm going to pick one boy and one girl to read."

Almost everyone each got a copy of the script-except for me, there hadn't been quite enough copies for everyone-and then a few girls raised their hands, eagerly waving them in a way that reminded me of elementary schoolers. All of the guys just stood where they were, looking bored and obviously uninterested. Some had even become interested in their bare wrists that they desperately wished had watches on them. Others just stared at their shoes.

Ms. Danica critically studied each face, her conniving grin back on her face again. "For Romeo...I choose..." She paused for dramatic effect, although, I was sure we all knew who it was before she said it. "Boomer." She seemed to have some kind of favoritism with him already. After this pick was revealed, every one of the girls besides Crystal and I waved their hands in the air frantically, and the ones that had already been excited had become almost desperate. I raised my eyebrows at them. Our teacher began again, "And for Juliet..."

I thought those girls were acting totally over the top, but whatever. They could go crazy for him if they wanted to. Maybe seeing him flirt with more girls would help me heal sooner. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe-

"Bubbles!"

I looked up from my nails when I heard the sound of my name leave the teacher's mouth. 'You have _got_ to be kidding me!' I screamed inside of my head. The whole class had gasped, and everyone suddenly remembered I was there. I was abruptly bombarded with sneers and glares from the girls and smug looks from the guys. I looked back at Crystal, and her jaw was dropped in utter shock.

Sure, I could've listened to him read it with someone else. I would've gotten over it eventually. But him reading it with _me?_ No. Oh no. Heck no. Absolutely not.

I searched my mind for excuses, but they came out jumbled. "I, um-w-well, I...see, uh-"

"Ms. Danica," Crystal's voice shot out suddenly. "She...she woke up with a sore throat this morning. She's not feeling too well, I don't think-"

"Oh, please," our teacher said, shaking her head and looking at us skeptically. "I heard you speaking just fine earlier. Now, come on! Let's get started! Chop chop!"

I shot Crystal one more desperate look before Ms. Danica walked over, grabbed my hand and dragged me to stand by him forcibly. Then she swiveled my shoulders, forcing me to face him. I swallowed hard. Okay. This shouldn't be too hard, it was just reading, right? It's not like we were actually talking. Besides, I didn't have to look at him. I could just stare at the script.

I looked down at my feet, my breathing labored. Right across from my white Hollister flip flops, I saw beat-up, blue Chuck Taylor high top sneakers. _His_ high tops.

Oh, God. He was there, _right_ there.

Someone shoved a script into my hands.

Ms. Danica announced, "All right, let's go! Scene 2, Act VI, page 134. Romeo, you start. Everyone, follow along in your own scripts."

I'm not sure how my shaking hands managed to open the book and turn the pages, but I eventually got there. Why was I shaking? Dammit, I needed to stop shaking.

His voice again, right in front of me and clear and terrifying. "Ah, Juliet, if you're as happy as I am, and you're better with words, tell me about the happiness you imagine we'll have in our marriage."

I stared at his lines as he read them aloud, the book directly in front of my nose. When he finished, I stared at the words after the name in bold print, ' **Juliet:** '. I frowned slightly, finding that my mouth wouldn't open to form the words.

"...Bubbles? It's your turn, darling." Ms. Danica coaxed, her tone comforting, yet there was a hint of impatience in it. Two or three girls chuckled under their breath.

I nodded wordlessly, and cleared my throat. 'Just get it over with, Bubbles.' I told myself. Finally, I opened my mouth and read, my voice muffled. "I can imagine more than I can say, I have more on my mind than-"

"Bubbles, dear." Ms. Danica said, impatient again. "Please hold your script lower, we can't hear you."

I flinched, and I lowered the script ever so slowly down to my chin.

"Lower," She coaxed again.

I lowered it to normal height now, and I glanced at her. She smiled at me and nodded at me to continue. I turned my glance back to the page, and I made sure to avoid his face. "...I can imagine more than I can say, I have more on my mind than words. Anyone who can count how much he has is poor. My true love has made me so rich that I can't count even half of my wealth."

"Okay, stop, that's good for that page. Let's get a better one, I want to hear Juliet more." Our teacher paused and skipped some pages. "Okay, let's do Act 3, Scene II, page 154. Now, how about more feeling, Bubbles? Become the character! Be passionate!"

I nodded, my eyes adjusting to the new page. It was just Juliet's part, and it was really long. I took a long breath, then began. "I wish the sun would hurry up and set and night would come immediately. When the night comes, and everyone goes to sleep, Romeo will leap into my arms, and no one will know-" I broke off suddenly as the meaning of the words I read rung so true in my own ears that it rattled me. My throat tightened and I coughed. 'Keep reading,' I thought. 'Everyone is watching you. Get it together.' I tried to force myself to move on, and I unknowingly skipped over a line. "Or else, love is blind, and its best time is the night." I stopped again, biting my lip. Why did our teacher have to pick _that_ part? Honestly, did the universe not want me to forget about him? Did the universe want me to wallow in misery? Or did I just have the worst luck in existence?

I hadn't realized how long I'd paused, but apparently it had been long enough for the silence to be awkward.

Ms. Danica waved her hand dismissively. "Okay, all right. I understand that you don't want to read by yourself. I got it. Let's move on to a different one." She flipped through multiple pages again. "Ooh, here's a good one between our star-crossed lovers!"

I bit my tongue. By now, it was starting to feel like she was doing this on purpose. I was beginning to feel mild resentment towards this woman.

"Act 1, Scene V, page 66. Be passionate, my students! Romeo, go!"

I swallowed hard as I stared at the lines on the page. This was going to be uncomfortable.

Boomer's voice again. "Your hand is like a holy place that-"

"Take her hand!" Ms. Danica barked. I expected Boomer to snatch my hand gingerly and squeeze it impersonally, like the way you would hold hands with a person you don't know or don't like. Instead, before he graciously laced our fingers together, he gently ran his thumb across mine.

My knees buckled slightly, and I chomped down on the inside of my bottom lip. 'Oh my _God._ ' I felt my hand quivering inside his, and I knew he felt it. There was no way he wouldn't have felt it. Burning, tingling sensations had shot through my hand and into my arm the moment he had touched it. I fixed my gaze on the script in front of me like my life depended on it.

"Your hand is like a holy place that my hand is unworthy to visit." He read the lines smoothly and flowingly. I felt his gaze on me. "If you're offended by the touch of my hand, my two lips are standing here like blushing pilgrims, ready to make things better with a kiss."

I still didn't look at him. They were just lines to a play, that's all. It was just part of a grade, nothing more. We were doing this for a grade. I repeated this in my head over and over as I started my line. "Good pilgrim, you don't give your hand enough credit. By holding my hand, you show polite devotion. After all, pilgrims touch the hands of statues of saints. Holding one palm against another is like a kiss." More burning shocks shot up my arm and down into my stomach at the word 'kiss', and my fingers twitched. I frowned against the sensation.

"Bubbles, look him in the eyes. He's your Romeo, not some stranger off the street." Ms. Danica barked again, more eager this time. Damn. I mentally decided that I didn't like that woman anymore.

Hesitantly, grudgingly, I removed my eyes from the black, printed words. As soon as I looked from the page, I was bombarded with the blue fabric of a t-shirt. He was less than two feet away. Slowly, I moved my gaze upward, and was greeted by intent, focused, deep sapphire eyes that were locked on my gaze. As much as I hated to think it, he was even more beautiful than I remembered, especially up close.

His gorgeous face was absolutely serious, maybe too serious. It was stoic, passive, even. Even so, his eyes bored into mine, and the intimate and intense feeling it brought threw me off. It even intimidated me a little. I averted my eyes to his hair. Soft looking, sun bleached, infuriating perfection.

"Line, Boomer." One of our classmates reminded Boomer, I wasn't sure who. Then, with horror, realized I had been staring at him. How long had I been staring?

But he had been staring at me, too. He had been staring so hard that he'd forgotten his line.

I cleared my throat in embarrassment, and broke our heavy gaze, glancing back down at my script to find my next line. What the heck was that? What was happening?

"Don't saints and pilgrims have lips too?" His voice was husky when he spoke this line. Though, he said this line so naturally, if I hadn't known better, I would have thought he was just talking to me. His tone reminded me of that night, when he talked to me so normally that it felt like he had always talked to me that way.

But why would he talk to me? Of course he wouldn't. Not anymore.

I automatically read my next line, trying not to let my thoughts distract me again. "Yes, pilgrim-they have lips that they're supposed to pray with."

"Come on, more _feeling!_ " Our teacher was even more eager now. I felt everyone gawking at us for some reason.

Boomer stepped closer now. I jerked back slightly, almost taking a step backwards. What was he doing? He took another step closer. Our faces were about six inches away from each other now, and his scent surrounded me. He smelled _unbearably_ good. "Well then, saint, let lips do what hands do." His tone was somehow deeper, and his expression was still serious. "I'm _praying_ for you to kiss me. Please grant my prayer so my faith doesn't turn to despair."

I urgently tried to regulate my breathing, but I still failed. I strained the muscles in my legs so they wouldn't buckle again. With just my eyes, I side glanced at Crystal, and she seemed to as panicked and shocked as I was. I tried to control my shaking hands, but if anything, they quivered more. The pages of the script I held shook visibly.

I couldn't handle this. I couldn't. I was going to crumble any second.

What was _wrong_ with me?

"Line!" Someone else shouted, a male this time.

I took in a ragged breath, forcing out the line even though I knew and dreaded what was next. "Saints don't move, even when they grant prayers." My voice was just a whisper. I was helpless.

Boomer said, "Then don't move while I act out my prayer."

" _Kiss her!_ " Ms. Danica shouted this time, not in anger, but in anticipation.

"No, don't! Not _her!_ " One of the female students protested in disgust, along with the many pleas from the other girls. I glanced over to them, and they shot fire from their eyes at me. In my whole life, I had fought hundreds, even thousands of criminals, but a few of those glares were more fierce than anything I'd ever seen.

Suddenly, I felt strong fingers under my chin, turning my face towards him again. He was bending down towards me, and his face was even closer now. The very tip of his nose brushed mine, and his eyes were as intense as ever, blues brimming with every bit of the emotion that I had seen that fateful night.

No, no, no, no, _no._ It was a lie. He was acting. It was fake.I was just another one of his toys. He'd played me. He'd broken my heart. He'd left me. I could never fall for his stupid mind games again. Hot, angry tears formed in my eyes.

Abruptly, I heard more voices breaking through the tense atmosphere. From the other side of the Auditorium. Wait, what? What was someone doing over there? I tore my eyes from him to look at the front doors, and students were beginning to pour into the giant room.

"Oh crap," Ms. Danica said, stomping her foot. "I forgot we have an assembly the last half-hour of homeroom." She pouted slightly, but relief flooded inside of me like a sea. I couldn't have asked for better timing. "All right, well, great job, guys. See you all in class tomorrow." As she told us this, a loud whistle sounded at us from the back of the room, and I took that as a sign to separate from him. I yanked my hand from his, pushed his other hand off my face and roughly shoved past him, keeping my eyes from his face again as I ran away to freedom.

Practically skipping over to the steps of the stage, I beamed at Crystal, who quickly came to my side. I was so giddy with relief, I only vaguely heard Ms. Danica say, "We'll start up again in class tomorrow!"

Crystal and I rushed down the stairs, and when we reached level ground again, I turned to her, pulling her into a relieved hug. "I can't believe I survived that class. That was torture. That was _so_ close."

She broke from the hug and shook her head, her eyebrows raised as she agreed, "Way too close." She paused, running her fingers through her thick, dark hair. She fiddled with the ends to help calm herself. "But, I hope you know that I had something planned if I needed to step in. I'll do it tomorrow, if you want."

I nodded. "Perfect. I mean, if she picks me to be Juliet again."

Crystal laughed. "Oh, I'm pretty sure she will. She was getting so into it, you should've seen her face. Seriously though, you guys had such awesome chemistry. It felt so real, like-" She stopped abruptly when she saw the look on my face, which I imagine was something between bewilderment and mild anger. "...Sorry." She hunched her shoulders inward, grimacing. "I forgot about...that...for a second."

I nodded in understanding, smiling slightly, but still stung. "It's okay." Besides, I didn't really disagree with her. It had felt like it was real to me, too. But of course it wasn't.

I stared down at the hand he had touched, and the skin still burned. My smile faded.

Crystal continued, less enthusiastically, "Like I was saying, though, she's definitely not going to pick anyone else after that performance."

My shoulders slumped. "Right." Oh, well. I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. I paused thoughtfully, and I took a deep breath. With the movement, I discovered that my throat was uncomfortably parched. "Man, I seriously need some water."

"No shit, dude," Crystal raised her eyebrows. "You looked like you were going to faint again."

I bit my lip, and my back stiffened. "Was it obvious?"

She hesitated, then slowly nodded her head. Sighing, I decided to change the subject. "Let's go find my sister and Victoria. We should sit with them."

Crystal nodded again, and we walked together to search for them in the large crowd.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

I stared down at the floor, utterly confused.

Now, usually there were only a few reasons as to why there would be rose petals leading a trail to somewhere in the hallway. One, that it was for a huge dance that was coming up, such as Homecoming or Prom, and some lucky girl was getting asked out. Two, it was close to Valentines Day, and someone was getting swept off of their feet. Or three, some other occasion or reason that the Principal may or may not need to know about.

I was pretty sure that it was awhile until we had Homecoming and Prom, it wasn't February, and...well, I wasn't absolutely sure about that last one.

I just been let out of my third period class, Calculus, and was on my way to my locker. I felt a weird texture underneath the heels of my ballet flats, and upon looking, I found that the entire hallway floor was scattered with rose petals. Normally, I would have disregarded it and ignored it, but as I kept walking, I noticed the rose petals followed the exact path I take to my locker.

I tried to shake it off as a coincidence.

That is, until I saw a boy clad in a tight black shirt and faded, dark blue jeans standing in front of my locker. His back was to me, and his platinum blonde hair shone.

I stood about ten feet from the row of jade green lockers, blinking. I focused on the numbers of the lockers, especially looking for the one I _thought_ was mine. I focused even more on the number engraved near the top.

_#424_

Okay, so it was mine. Well, maybe he got lost, and maybe he mixed up my locker with someone else's.

Then, the mystery boy turned around.

"B-Blossom!" Steven stuttered, and the bouquet of roses he held started to quiver. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't see you standing there."

I was still confused. "Hey, Steven." I paused, staring at the flowers he held. "...Are you...waiting for somebody?"

His gray eyes widened, and he gulped. I had never noticed his eyes before. He had nice eyes.

"Um, no, no...I uh," He gulped again. "I was actually waiting for you."

I stared, trying to figure out what he was up to. "Really?" He nodded, his lips curled into a nervous grin. His entire face was flushed red. I mirrored his smile."So...those flowers are for me?"

At the word 'flowers', he fumbled with the large bouquet in between his hands. Finally, he held them out to me, another sheepish expression on his face. He stared at his shoes. I watched him carefully. He was obviously really nervous, maybe I shouldn't have been staring at him so intently.

I softened my expression, giving him a small smile again. "Thank you, Steven." I took the flowers from his grasp, and when our fingers brushed, his eyes snapped to mine again.

He swallowed before he spoke. "You're welcome," He paused, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. "And...I have a question to ask you."

I gripped the flowers with one hand, ran a hand through my hair, and nodded for him to continue. I suddenly felt an audience watching us.

He hesitated, and I gave him a smile that I hoped looked comforting. Now, he looked even more uneasy. "Will you...go out with me tomorrow night?"

I stared at him again, my eyebrows raised. Had I just been asked out? By... _Steven?_ But...why? I felt a sudden nudge in my side, and my eyes flickered over to see Victoria there beside me, giving me a wide smile. I glanced back at Steven again, and he seemed to be nervous again. 'Right, I should probably say something.' I started, "Wow, Steven, that's so sweet of you-"

"I'd understand if you said no..." Steven interrupted, nodding understandingly, but even so, he looked so heart broken.

I bit my lip. Then, something red caught my eye.

Despite the sting, I looked in the direction of the object. My hand paused in my hair mid-stroke. Brick strolled down the hallway, a pretty brown-haired girl on his arm. Instead of charming her, I noticed that he was looking at me. He was looking at me for the first time in almost half a year. His face was expressionless.

Our eyes locked, and the dull pain swelled again. I tore my gaze away, my eyebrows furrowed. I forced away the sting at the back of my throat.

Steven watched Brick too, and he clenched his jaw. His eyes darkened with anger. He watched him until he couldn't anymore, then, he turned back to me. "Blossom," his voice was clearer now, and all nervousness seemed to be gone. The sudden change in his tone surprised me, and I looked up. He stepped closer, and now that I had a clearer look of his eyes, they were also clouded with want. "I'm sorry." He paused, and he removed the hand I had tangled in my hair and held it between his. "I don't know what exactly he did to you, but I do know that he broke your heart." He brought our hands to his moderately muscled chest, right where his heart was. He pressed mine into the soft, black fabric of his shirt. His heart beat wildly and uncontrollably. My breath caught in my throat in surprise, and his deep gray eyes looked into mine even deeper. "I would _never_ hurt you, Blossom."

I felt the power of his words, felt the heavy emotion behind them, and I desperately wanted to believe every word he said.

But I couldn't.

"Steven, I-"

He interrupted me again. "Just think about it, okay?"

Then, giving me a genuine, casual smile, he walked away. I bit the inside of my cheek, looking down at the beautiful, bright red bouquet. I had never been given flowers by a boy before. Well, besides getting tulips from Professor on mine and my sisters' birthday. I brought a hand up to feel the soft petals, and I lowered my nose to indulge in the fresh, floral scent.

It was kind of funny. That morning, I had actually thought that things couldn't get anymore complicated than they already were.

Beside me, Victoria sniffed repeatedly. I switched my gaze to her, and she wiped at the small tears that escaped the corners of her eyes. She felt my gaze, and she chuckled in embarrassment. "Victoria!" I said, shaking my head. "You're crying?"

"That was so sweet," She mumbled, then paused, sniffing again. "He really likes you. He liked you last year, too."

My eyebrows raised. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "Even during the whole Princess thing, he only left you alone because he though you didn't want to be friends anymore. That's why he felt so bad about it this year."

I smiled and looked down at my flowers again. Well, he _was_ really sweet, wasn't he? And the whole nervous thing was kind of cute. "I think," I looked up at Victoria again, who had finally swiped at the last round of tears. "I'll definitely think about it."

* * *

**-Buttercup's POV-**

I growled, switching the television off. There hadn't been anything good on TV all day, just idiotic reality shows and talk shows with hosts nobody has ever heard of.

I reached into my bag of cheese puffs, and my fingertips touched the empty bottom of the bag. I huffed, balled the plastic bag up into a tiny ball, and threw it in the general direction of my trash can. There was nothing to distract me now. I had just eaten through the last bag of chips we'd had in the house, and I couldn't really cook, so there went eating until dinner time. Now there was just me and my thoughts.

I had really lost it yesterday. I mean, really, truly, _lost it._

I hadn't had a meltdown like that since I had lost my green blanket as a little kid. And I also hadn't been so fiercely angry like that since...well, ever.

And it was all because of a stupid Rowdyruff boy.

Professor told me that the school would be having an assembly today, and that they would explain why I did what I did. Not the...you know, heartbreak thing...but the whole archenemy thing. He'd said that hopefully, the gossip and drama would die down by tomorrow.

Yeah, whatever.

Honestly, I didn't care what they said about me. I couldn't have cared less. As if I cared about what a bunch of loser humans thought of me.

And now that I'd had a day off and some time to calm down and think, I figured that as long as _he_ kept his distance from me, I would be fine. I still couldn't believe I'd let him get to me that much. No other villain, no other _person_ had ever made me blow up like that. Maybe it was my mood that day. Maybe because I was so tense and fiery beforehand, and that was why the ending explosion had been so bad.

I had make sure to keep my anger in check next time.

And I could avoid him. I _would_ avoid him. And I wouldn't think about him or his idiot brothers. I wouldn't even look at him. That's what I had to do.

Now that I'd finally had a good cry the day before, and I'd come to the realization of why I'd had the breakdown in the first place, I could really get over him this time. I could force myself to forget the words he'd told me to remember. I could forget those stupid lies that I had actually believed. I was ready now.

Maybe then I could finally be myself again.

* * *

**-Back to Bubbles' POV-**

"You just remember what I said now, Bubbles." Mrs. Sabin, my Spanish teacher, said to me as I opened the door to leave. I smiled at her, nodding halfheartedly as I left.

She had kept me after class because she'd caught me texting Blossom, who'd been sitting across the room from me. I covered for my sister, of course, and said I was texting Professor instead. Professor doesn't text much, but it made a good excuse. Still, she'd kept me after class to give me a 'good talking to'. She hadn't yelled at me or anything, Mrs. Sabin loved me. Teachers were supposed to confiscate phones immediately when students were caught using them, but she hadn't even touched mine. In the end, she'd just told me to 'be more careful' and to 'save the texting for the hallways'.

As I walked the normal path to my locker, my footsteps' echos ricocheted off of the walls. Everyone else was in the Cafeteria, having lunch already. I glanced at the digital clock on the front screen of my cell phone. _12:15 PM._

I still had a good forty-five minutes for lunch, no big deal. Hopefully, if I hurried, I could still get in the lunch line and get something good. I quickened my pace.

Before I had been busted, Blossom and I had been talking about Steven. He had asked her out after third period, with a bouquet of roses and everything. That explained the rose petals I had seen littering some hallways of the building. I was happy for her. Really, I was. I was proud of her, too. I was proud that she was able to move onto another boy after Brick.

I smiled to myself ruefully.

My torturous first class still weighed heavily on my mind. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about every moment. I wondered when he wouldn't be able to affect me that way anymore. I knew that if I tried, one day, I'd probably be able to move past Boomer. It would probably take years, and even then, I knew the heartbreak wouldn't be completely gone. It was like a scar, the wound would eventually heal, but the reminder of the wound would always be there.

Eventually, I reached the hallway that my locker was in. I looked down at the linoleum floors, and rose petals were still scattered there.

I pulled my backpack straps from my shoulders, letting the packed bag fall to the ground with a loud thud. The sound was loud, and it echoed off the walls, but there was another sound with it. I glanced around me, thinking that maybe someone else was at their locker.

But when I looked, no one else was in the hallway. It was just me.

I shrugged it off. It had probably been someone in a nearby hallway, slamming their locker loudly. Or maybe they had done it quietly, I couldn't be sure. I had accelerated hearing, which made sounds from far away sound closer than they actually were. It could have been upstairs for all I knew.

I turned back to my locker, did my combination with quick fingers, and I began to switch my books out for the classes I had after lunch. Bending down, I dropped the new books into my backpack, and the hardcovers thudded against each other. Then, another noise. It was the sound of the rubber soles of sneakers squeaking against the floor. I felt the vibration of it, too.

It was right behind me.

I stood upright quickly, my heart rate uneven. Before I had time to turn to face the stranger, two strong, familiar arms wrapped around my waist and warm breath blew across the nape of my neck.

I didn't have to look to know who it was.


	16. Foreign and Familiar

**Chapter Sixteen**

**-Bubbles' POV-**

I was overly aware of his muscular arms wrapped around me tightly. Every cell in my body became heightened with his addicting scent, and the light hairs on my arms stood on end.

Boomer lowered his forehead onto my shoulder, sighing a whisper of a sigh. I froze at the warmth of his skin against mine.

The frenzy within my body started again, beginning with my shaking hands. He was playing with me again. Toying with my emotions, just to watch me crumble beneath his touch. I thought he would have stopped after Drama class, but evidently he hadn't gotten enough of my misery out of it.

I moved away from him, but he didn't loosen his hold. He just lifted his head from my shoulder. I shook my head in disgust.

How long was he going to keep this up?

"The drama reading's over, Boomer." I kept my tone surprisingly indifferent and monotonous. Finally, I forcibly unwrapped his arms from my waist, then proceeded to zip my packed backpack up.

"I know," he said. It was still so weird hearing his voice after going so long without hearing it.

I shot an expectant glance in his general direction, still avoiding his face. "So, why are you here?" My tone was still flat. I dangled my backpack by one strap, ready to put it on and get to the Cafeteria. Wanting to look busy and nonchalant, I pretended to fix my hair in the magnetic mirror I had in my locker. I didn't know why I hadn't just left yet, but some part of me kept me there. I hated that he still had some power over me, even if it was just a little bit.

For a moment, he was silent, and I thought he had left. I then felt his breath tickle and tease the bare part of my shoulder. It was warm, but to me, it was the equivalent of flames licking my skin. I grit my teeth together. So, he was just going to stand there and torture me with his presence? I didn't have to take it. I suddenly spun around, facing my torturer.

"What the hell do you want?" I hadn't yelled this, and it had sounded more firm than angry. But I was furious. I was at my wit's end. I didn't want to be polite to him anymore, and my patience was totally gone. Taking a quick glance at him, it was clear that my tone had startled him. There was surprise written all over his face. At first, I had been confident that I could handle looking at him head on, but this proved to be wrong, and I averted my gaze again seconds after.

Despite the brief surprise on his face, his reply to me was calm, gentle and even. "I came to talk."

I froze in brief shock, then my expression of shock turned into a mocking sneer. I hadn't given _anyone_ that look in a while. "Don't give me that crap." I shoved my backpack strap over my shoulder, and I slammed my locker door without looking behind me to do it.

"No, really." He put a hand on my shoulder softly, and I reached up and shoved it away. Our skin met again, and my hand burned.

To distract myself from the tingling sensation, I ran the quivering hand through my hair. I laughed a hard, humorless laugh, hoping that he hadn't seen my hand shaking. "When are you going to give this up?"

I didn't look at him, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shake his head confusedly. "Give what up?"

I grit my teeth again. "Just stop pretending, okay?" Then, I tried to thrust past him, but he mirrored my steps and blocked my path. Our footsteps made loud, jarring echoes. My vision was bombarded by his blue t-shirt again. For the second time that day, his proximity was too much. It was making me feel crazy. I had to get out of there.

"Whoa, just wait a second. I don't know what you're-"

"I can do whatever I damn well please!" I interrupted. The curse word felt foreign coming out of my mouth, but I hoped to create some sort of shock factor to distract him, or shock him enough to drive him away. It didn't work.

He sighed and closed his eyes patiently, as if I was a three year old having a tantrum. Somehow, his patience made me even angrier. "Please, just listen to me."

Despite the anger bubbling in my throat, I folded my arms silently. He stepped towards me, and I backed away. He stepped toward me again, and I backed up another step. One more time, he moved closer, and I when I tried to take a step further away, I was displeased to find that my back hit the row of lockers behind me. Trapped. I was pretty aware that he knew I wanted to be far away from him, but that didn't stop him from stepping closer, making the distance between us a mere foot. His large frame blocked my view from most of the hallway, but I turned my face away.

At first he just watched me, and I felt his blue eyes intently boring into the side of my face. Once again, I was starting to feel how little the distance between us really was. I hid my trembling hands behind my back, and it felt like my heart was going to explode out of my ribcage. I knew my nervousness was noticeable, and I spoke up again, trying to keep my indifferent tone. "Well...?"

When he spoke again, his voice was gruff. "Bubbles..." He paused, swallowing thickly. He leaned closer. "Please look at me."

I kept my teeth clenched together, and I kept my eyes from him. I would _not_ give in to him. I stared unseeingly at the tile floors. He rested his hands on the lockers on either side of me, obscuring my view even more. I didn't avert my gaze. When his voice came again, it seemed to echo off the walls even more than his words before. It echoed louder more than our footsteps had been, and it echoed louder than my pounding heart. "Why won't you look at me?"

His question quickened my heart's pace even more, and my breathing became unsteady. I tried to control it, allowing my breath to move into and move out of my nose slowly. I tried to ignore his alluring scent. Could guys even be alluring? If most guys couldn't, he sure as hell could. "You know why."

Why had he even asked me that? This was painful. My indifferent tone was long gone, and a grim one had replaced it. The familiar empty ache began to rage in my chest at the memory of the months before, and the pain was greater this time. I squeezed my lips together against the oncoming sobs building in my chest. He was silent for a moment, then he rested his forehead beside mine. I turned my head the opposite direction.

He sighed once more, and his breath whispered across the nape of my neck again. In spite of myself, I shivered, but not because I was cold. "Tell me why," he said.

I shook my head slowly. "I shouldn't have to tell you."

"Please."

It was silent for about a minute. I swallowed hard. With anyone else, the silence would have been awkward, but for reasons I knew deep down from somewhere inside of me, it wasn't awkward with him. "Why did you leave?" In fear of my voice quivering, I whispered this question.

He paused a moment, then he lowered his face to the side of my neck. The tip of his nose brushed the sensitive skin. My heart picked up pace, and I shoved him off of me harshly. He let me. "Get off of me." My voice rose again, and it shook when I said this, making me sound feeble and weak. I hated that I sounded that way.

My shove had successfully created three feet between us, but he moved towards me again, closer this time. "Bubbles," his voice was much quieter, and for what reason, I wasn't sure. "Look at me."

I hated how gentle his voice was when he said my name. I hated how it made me feel so powerless. I still kept my eyes from him, my arms folded passively. "No."

Then, for the second time that day, he touched my face. He took my face in his broad hands softly, yet firmly. The movement forced me to look him in the eye. "Please, _look_ at me." His voice was desperate now.

As soon as I was looking into his beautiful eyes, I couldn't look away. A tidal wave of the aching I had felt before crashed into me, taking me with it and knocking me under. Any of the numbness that remained inside of me drained away. I had used the numbness to protect myself from getting hurt again, and it was gone now. Empty vulnerability took its place.

His intense sapphire eyes were swimming with emotions. It overwhelmed me to took into them, but I didn't avert my gaze. I picked each emotion apart from each other, reading them carefully and repeatedly.

Passion.

Need.

Despair.

Then...emptiness.

No. It was a lie. He had to be lying. He was acting again. Just like earlier. Right?

I pried his hands from my face, but I still couldn't tear my eyes from his. The despair in his eyes had grown when I'd taken his hands off of me, and it pierced me like a thousand knives in my stomach. Why did I hurt when he hurt? He didn't give a crap when he had hurt me. I felt tears spring to my eyes, and I knew he'd see them. It made me want to hide, but now it was too late to hide.

A few moments passed, and he put his hands on the lockers beside me again. "I never meant to hurt you." His voice was wind quiet, but it was filled with the same emotions I had seen in his eyes. The sheer intensity emitting from him overwhelmed me, and my entire body began to tremble.

"Then why did you do it?" I whispered again.

He broke our gaze for a few moments and glanced down at my shuddering hands, studying them. When he looked into my eyes again, I swear my heart stopped beating for a moment. Not only was he looking at me, it felt like he saw _through_ me. It felt like my soul was bare, and he was looking right at it. It terrified me. "I had to," he said. I shook my head at him in denial. My tears spilled over onto my cheeks. His gaze switched to the tears leaving streaks on my face, and concern filled his eyes. He grabbed my face again, and he moved closer. "Bubbles, please believe me."

Our faces were inches away. My heart pounded loudly in my throat, and I felt dizzy. My tears fell faster. "I don't." It was barely even a whisper, but he heard it.

Anguish filled his voice again. "I'm so sorry." He began to bring my face impossibly closer to his for the second time that day, and I knew what he was about to do.

_No._

"No!" I screamed, and it sounded almost hysterical.

I thrust him away from me again, then struck him in the face with an open palm with all the force I could muster. I hadn't hit him in a long time, and truthfully, it felt odd now. Wrong. Tears poured down my cheeks uncontrollably. He kept his face turned from me silently, his hair hiding his face.

"No," My voice trembled violently, but I forced the words out. " _No_ , you are _not_ sorry. Do you know how much you hurt me?"

He didn't answer.

I continued, my tone heavy with anger and heartache. "No. You'll never know how much I was hurt, how much I cried, how much I _suffered_. I loved you. I needed you and you _left_ me!" My chin bobbled with the words I tried to find. "I needed you so much. And I thought you needed me too. But if you really needed me...no, if you really _loved_ me...you would have told me you were leaving, at least. You would have found some way to see me. You didn't. You didn't even care. I meant nothing to you." I paused, leaving my next words to echo in the heavy silence, "You never really loved me, did you?"

His head finally raised, and his eyes locked with mine again, his eyebrows furrowed into a line. A red welt throbbed on the side of his face where I had hit him, but that wasn't what surprised me. What surprised me were the tears that tumbled out of those eyes of his.

I was taken aback. I had never seen a boy cry before. But even though he was crying, there was a strong determination on his face.

"Okay," He nodded first, his voice caught in his throat for a moment. "I understand. I never expected you to still have feelings for me. I accept your anger. I deserve your anger." My breath hitched. He paused, and looked at the floor. At first, I thought it was out of cowardice or surrender. Then he looked up again. His eyes burned through mine so severely, I almost staggered back into the lockers. "But don't _ever_ fucking say that I don't love you."

There it was again. That vulnerable, weak feeling in my stomach. The lightheaded dizziness. The feeling I had shoved away in the dark for so long.

Boomer continued on, his eyes burning, "I never stopped loving you. I never will. I'll always need you more than my own life. I'll always desire you more than anything I've ever wanted. I never deserved your love. I never will. I don't deserve _you_." He stopped momentarily when his voice broke. "I hate that I hurt you so much. I can see it, Bubbles. Your eyes...they used to be so joyful. Now they're filled with so much pain. I tainted you." He clutched at his hair so hard that it looked painful. "I hate myself. I hate myself so much."

Suddenly, I was in his face. I hadn't even remembered coming closer to him. "No, stop," I said to him. The words strung out of me against my will. I had to put a stop to his words. I put a hand on his shoulder softly. My breathing hitched. "Stop saying that."

He jumped at my touch as if he hadn't seen me come closer either, but then he shook his head fervently. "Why? It's true." He took my hand, squeezing it so hard that it might have hurt if I cared. But I didn't care. All I could focus on was that he was holding my hand. "I ruined who you were." I didn't answer, but I swallowed hard. He continued miserably, "And I'm so selfish. I know that I ruined any chance of ever being with you, but...I still _want_ you so much."

"Boomer, stop it." My voice raised an octave. "Stop saying things like that."

His voice had become monotonous with pain. "Things like what?"

"Things like, 'I'm so selfish'. That's not true, so stop it right now." My voice was loud, but I couldn't calm down. I was upset, really upset, and all my emotions were swirling around me at once.

Suddenly, there were a million questions in his gorgeous eyes. He stared at me, trying to understand. "What do you mean?"

I didn't realize I had begun to cry again until then. I let the tears flow down my face. "There's nothing wrong with you. And you're wrong." For the very first time, I take his face in my hands roughly, sternly. Holding his face between my hands was like no other feeling in the entire world. "I'm the one that doesn't deserve _you_. And _I'm_ selfish."

With an upset expression, he began to protest, "Bubbles-" but I cut him off.

"I don't deserve you because you're amazing, even if you don't realize it. And I'm selfish because whenever I see those other girls surrounding you and fawning all over you...I become absolutely sure that none of them could ever love you as much as I do."

At my words, his eyes widened for half a moment, then he put his hands over mine. His hands completely engulfed mine with their size. "Bubbles...those other girls don't mean anything to me."

My face was hot. My crying intensified, and my entire body jerked from my violent sobs. My vision became blinded by my hot tears, and I took my hands out from underneath his to swipe at them. "They don't?" I managed to choke out.

His voice was soft and calming again. He shook his head. "No, baby." He moved my hands away from my face gently with his, and with his fingers, he wiped my tears away tenderly. "You're the only girl I care about. You're the one that I love."

My heart throbbed. I felt his love. I felt it though every word he said, the way he said it, the way he touched me. It pierced through me. And at this moment, I finally noticed that the empty ache was gone.

I looked into his eyes and said to him, "And one last thing, Boomer Jojo. Don't you _ever_ say that you hate yourself again. _Ever_."

He abruptly moved one of his hands to the back of my head, entangling his fingers in my hair, and his other arm wrapped around my shoulders, crushing me to him. Our faces were even closer, and I drowned in his piercing, affectionate eyes, losing sense of where we were, how to think, how to breathe.

Our lips met with such agonizing passion that my legs failed me, but he held me so tightly against the lockers that I didn't budge.

I could have never lived without him. I had tried to fool myself into thinking that I could, but right then, as I clung myself to him as if life depended on it, I couldn't even imagine spending my life with anyone else.

And this time, I was absolutely sure he couldn't live without me either.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

I tapped the French tips of my nails against the metal lunch table impatiently.

"Okay, I'm starting to get a little worried now." I admitted to my friends, who were all sitting at the table with me. Crystal laid her hand over mine in a polite, silent way of asking me to stop. I winced slightly. "Sorry."

She smiled graciously. "It's okay. Anyway, I'm sure she's fine. Mrs. Sabin isn't even one of the strict teachers."

I chewed on my lip for a moment. "But how long does Mrs. Sabin intend to keep her? I mean, she just got caught texting, right?"

Steven, who was next to me on my other side, gave me a small, encouraging smile. His usual entourage was gone again today. It seemed like he wasn't hanging out with them much lately. "Don't worry. She's probably on her way down here right now."

I smiled back, and his face flushed. I said, "You're right. I shouldn't worry."

Steven looked down at the table, fiddling with his unused napkin. His face still shone bright red, the way it had when he looked at me that entire day so far. I flashed Victoria and Crystal a look, and they smirked at me. I scrunched up my nose at them.

Still, though, I couldn't help but think that it was something -or someone- else keeping her wherever she was. Mrs. Sabin wasn't a yeller, and the longest time so far she had lectured us as a class was only twenty minutes. Our hour long lunch was ending in ten minutes.

I turned toward the entrance, watching the door for a few moments.

 _'Your sister can take care of herself, Blossom.'_ My conscience scolded me. I sighed inwardly. That was true, but, Buttercup and I always looked after her as if she were younger than us. I couldn't help worrying about her sometimes.

A sudden, booming, bass toned laugh sounded from the opposite side of the room.

I reflexively glanced over, and I found Butch, surrounded by girls, of course. He was evidently laughing at something his brothers did. I watched him nonchalantly, and I noticed that the only sign that showed his beating from the day before was a small, skin-colored bandage on the edge of his lip and a brace on his wrist. They were probably just for show, because I knew that the injuries he had were the kind that could heal in a matter of hours. At least, for us. For any normal human, it would've most likely taken months. I was sure he just didn't want to freak out the normal kids out by appearing completely healed.

My eyes purposely skipped over Brick, searching for Boomer. I frowned when I discovered that the blonde brother wasn't there.

And something told me that wasn't just a coincidence.

I examined the entire room, and I found that he wasn't even in the room. Panicked now, I looked towards the entrance again. 'Bubbles,' My thoughts were a whirling mess. 'Oh geez, Bubbles.'

 _'She's going to be okay, Blossom. Even if Boomer is out there with her, he wouldn't attack her on school grounds.'_ My conscience said.

Sure, I was worried about that. But I was worried more about what he could be doing _besides_ that. She had told me about the horrendous Romeo and Juliet reading in her Drama class. What if he was badgering her about that? What if he was tugging on her heartstrings again, just to watch her squirm? She had already been shaken up enough, she didn't need any more that in one day. What if she broke down?

I snatched out my cell phone, swiftly typing her a text.

**'Dude, where are you? Lunch is almost over. Are you okay?'**

I sent it, then waited. I half-listened to Crystal, Victoria and Steven's conversation, it had something to do with driving to the mall together after school. Victoria said something about getting an outfit from Charlotte Russe. Crystal said something about Hollister's new body spray. Whatever Steven said was inaudible to me, even though he was sitting right next to me. I wasn't paying enough attention to care. I stared intently at my phone. It was taking her longer than normal to reply. Something had happened, I was sure of it.

Then, the dismissal bell rang.

I could feel everyone around me stand up and stretch, but I stayed sitting. "Blossom," Victoria's quiet voice was next to me. I glanced at her. She smiled softly in an expectant way. "Aren't you coming?"

I shook my head, as if trying to snap myself out of it. I smiled back sheepishly. "Right, right. Of course. Sorry!"

She nodded in response and then glanced at the phone in my hand. "Oh, did you text her?"

"Yeah," I got up from my seat, hauling my backpack onto my shoulders. "She didn't reply."

There was a slight pause as we made our way to the double doors leading to the hallway. People pushed past us, but our small group stayed together. Then, Victoria put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure she's alright, maybe she just had to go to the nurse's office or something."

The nurse. I hadn't even thought of that. I nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, that's true." Even if she were at the nurse's office, though, it wouldn't have been a good thing. Maybe I would check to see if she was there.

As my thoughts roared, I felt someone watching me. When I looked up, I met Steven's gaze. He watched me back tentatively, a small, shy smile twisting his lips. His face still reddened when I eyed him, but he didn't look away. I knew if I were to listen more carefully, I could hear his heart accelerate.

I suddenly remembered that I still owed him an answer. It had only been a few hours, but I felt it hanging between us. It wasn't fair to him that I was keeping him waiting, but I still hadn't decided yet. I thought about what Victoria had told me about him, and that made me want to give him a chance.

But something still held me back.


	17. Hopes and Expectations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: In this one, I really wanted to do Boomer's POV. If you so wish, you can skip that part, since it's just the reunion scene from last chapter all over again. I just thought it'd be fun!)

**Chapter Seventeen**

**-Boomer's POV-**

Where was she?

I paced through the halls at such a superhuman speed, I would have gotten in trouble for it if the Principal had caught me. I honestly didn't care at the moment, I suppose I was too determined to even listen to myself. Maybe I was crazy for doing this. It went against my better judgment. I knew I would pay for this decision I was making. So why couldn't I stop?

I was probably insane.

Everyday for lunch, she was usually in the Cafeteria by the time I got there with my brothers. Today when we came in, Blossom had already been there. No sign of Bubbles. I always saw them walk in together, but today Bubbles wasn't there.

So here I was, searching for her. Why the _hell_ was I searching for her? This would ruin our plan. I would screw all of it up, I knew this. Why was I still going?

That morning, in Homeroom, I let go. I forgot all about the plan, I forgot all about self control, I forgot about everything else. I forgot because she was there, within my reach, clouding my judgment. For a moment, it almost felt like I had her again. But it was an illusion. Of course I couldn't have her.

I could never have her again.

And I knew this. So then, why was I looking for her? Maybe it was the small speck of hope that I had left, pushing my feet forward.

Or maybe it was because, subconsciously, I knew that I needed her. I had been without her for so long. I had continued to fall apart at the seams every moment I had to be without her, even as I saw her in the hallways, even as I saw her in our drama class, close but still so far away from my reach. Beautiful and devastating. It almost felt like we were enemies again, as totally unreachable to me as a burning, distant star. For the half a year that I was gone, I had felt like I'd left part of me somewhere else, and I had. Part of me was gone.

Suddenly, I heard it. The soft, padded footsteps of a person wearing flip flops. The sound came from the neighboring hallway. I lifted off of the ground and sped towards that hallway at a speed that could possibly kill someone if I had barreled straight into them. I stopped suddenly, right around the corner from the particular hallway, and put my feet back onto the ground. For a scary moment, I realized that I'd done that too eagerly, because the soles of my shoes had made a loud, noticeable tap.

I cursed inwardly and froze. Had she seen me? I held my breath when I heard her freeze too, quieting her breathing so she could listen to her surroundings. I waited silently, and then I heard the combination knob on her locker rattle. I peeked around the corner, and she was about fifteen feet away, standing in front of her locker. She opened the locker door and it made a loud, prolonged creak.

Before I could talk myself out of it, my shoes were off of the ground again, and I floated soundlessly towards her. I couldn't help my longing for her, and I hated myself for it.

My shoes landed again the exact moment she dropped another book into her bag. I stood directly behind her. Sensing my presence, she stiffened visibly, and the next second, she stood upward.

I couldn't stop myself from wrapping my arms around her, bringing her closer to me. I needed to feel her warmth, I needed to hold her in my arms. It had been too long. Why couldn't I control myself? What was wrong with me? I buried my forehead into the crook of her neck, breathing her in. I had missed her scent. She smelled so sweet. When our skin touched, it made a strong tingling sensation, and my insides stirred.

Then came the reaction I was waiting for.

She tried to pull away from me, but for some reason, I still held onto her. I wasn't in my right mind. I lifted my face in time to see her shake her head. Then, she spoke. "The drama reading's over, Boomer."

Her voice wasn't the happy, joyful sound I had grown used to over the years. Now, it was quiet. Indifferent. Flat. Emotionless. She ripped my arms off of her and I let her this time, her tone forcing me to come to my senses again. She proceeded to zip up her backpack, and something inside of me suddenly ached, realizing what she meant. She'd thought I only came to 'continue' our drama reading.

Of course, it made sense. I hadn't given her reason to think otherwise. Over the past few days, I barely even looked at her. I didn't know how I managed it, but somehow I lived through it. It was for the plan. The really stupid plan that I hated with a passion. "I know," I answered her.

She turned her head slightly, an expectant expression on her face. "So, why are you here?" She turned to her locker mirror, smoothing the strands of pale blonde around her face. I watched her, and I took notice that she arranged herself at an angle so that I couldn't see her reflection in the mirror.

I stood there dumbly, my arms awkwardly dangling at my sides. I wanted to hold her again, but obviously she didn't want that. I couldn't force it, I realized. I couldn't make her uncomfortable. I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I had.

She suddenly spun on me, her face alight with irritation. "What the hell do you want?" Even though she hadn't yelled this, it had the effect of a punch in the stomach. I recoiled. At first, her eyes flickered toward me, and less than a second later, she looked past me.

My throat tightened, but I tried to make my reply calm. "I came to talk."

At first, she stared with a blank expression, and then her face twisted into a sneer so fierce, it stung to look at.

"Don't give me that crap." She said this flatly again, and she slammed her locker shut behind her. I sensed that she was going to leave soon.

In a desperate attempt to keep her there, I put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "No, really." I tried to keep my voice smooth, but my throat strained with the emotions I suppressed. I could feel that I probably wouldn't be able to hold it in for much longer.

She shoved my hand away, and I felt something similar to a tearing sensation inside of me. She laughed at me humorlessly. "When are you going to give this up?"

My forehead wrinkled in confusion. I shook my head, not understanding. "Give what up?"

She clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth together. I tried to look into her eyes, desperate to understand, but they looked dead and passive. She tried to shove past me. "Just stop pretending, okay?" I blocked her attempt at leaving, and every time I blocked her, she pursed her lips tighter together.

My confusion grew, and I spoke up. "Whoa, just wait a second. I don't know what you're-"

"I can do whatever I damn well please!" Bubbles shouted.

My words hadn't been meant as an order, but I supposed she had taken it that way. Her voice had been so loud that it honestly threw me off. I tried to cover up my surprise, sighing with frustration. I closed my eyes to escape from her fierce gaze for a moment. "Please, just listen to me."

The following silence seemed like a good sign, so I opened my eyes. She had her arms folded, and her expression was expectant again. She didn't look at me, though, but she wasn't leaving either.

I stepped forward, and she backed away from me. We did this two more times, and then her back hit the row of lockers behind her. My stomach twisted with pain. She didn't even want to be near me. I stepped closer without thinking, but I subconsciously kept a foot between us. She kept her face turned from me as if I weren't even standing there. I stared at her, hoping that she would feel my gaze and look at me, but she didn't. It was deliberate. She couldn't even look at me.

Her hands trembled, and I could hear her intense heartbeat pounding against her ribcage harshly. I wondered why she was reacting so strongly. Was she angry? Her frown deepening, she moved her shaking hands behind her back so I couldn't see them. "Well...?" She said this just as evenly as before.

"Bubbles..." I swallowed thickly. "Please look at me." I couldn't get over the way that she couldn't look at me. It was tearing into me. She kept her angry, passive blue eyes from me, staring at something insignificant. Her eyebrows formed a permanent line above them, but even something so angry looked delicate on her features. I rested my hands on either locker beside her, and she still didn't look up. It felt as if someone took a knife to my heart and dragged it downward, twisting it in the wound that hadn't healed yet. She didn't want to look at me. She hated me. "Why won't you look at me?" I felt that my tone was heavy with the emotions I tried to hide, but I didn't care anymore. She breathed unevenly through her nose.

"You know why." Her tone was horribly morose, and emotion finally began to leak into her voice. She squeezed her lips together, and I rested my forehead beside hers. She turned away from me again.

I sighed. "Tell me why." I had an idea, but for some reason, I decided that I needed to hear it. I had to be sure.

She shook her head. "I shouldn't have to tell you."

"Please." It was silent for a long while. I let the silence be, because I sensed that she would eventually speak.

She swallowed hard before she spoke up again. "...Why did you leave?" Her words were quieter than a whisper, and it chilled me all the way through.

My eyelids squeezed together, and the knife stabbed into me again. Even though she had whispered, I could feel her emotions seeping through her voice. I was horrible. I had done this to her. She was suffering inside, and I was the reason for it. Unable to control it, I lowered my face to the side of her neck, and the tip of my nose brushed her skin. I was in this particularly miserable catch 22, knowing that I was the cause of her pain but also wanting so badly to hold her in my arms to ease it. There was nothing I could do to help and I hated it. She suddenly thrust me away from her with both of her hands, and I let her again. I deserved it.

"Get off of me." Her protest was weak, and in spite of my guilt, the tone of her voice drew me to her side again.

"Bubbles," _I'm begging you_. "Look at me."

Her arms folded once more. "No."

Agony ripped through me now, tearing at my vital parts. My heart felt so slashed and torn, it was a miracle that it could still beat. To hell with the stupid plan, I was falling apart. I took her face between my hands firmly before she could pull away. "Please, _look_ at me!" I didn't recognize the voice that came out of me, it was so urgent, so distressed. This time, when I looked her in the eyes, she finally looked back.

The fog that had once shielded me from seeing her emotions dissipated now, though not completely. Her once clear, bright, sky blue eyes were clouded now. They seemed like they were a dull, graying blue. As I read her pain-filled eyes, I could see the emotions she had shown me in her voice. Betrayal. Misery. Denial.

She reached up to take my hands off of her face, and my breathing heaved. The pain was almost unbearable now. Her eyes never left mine, though, and hers began to water.

At first, we just stared at each other. I drank in her grief, her tears continuing to swell in her eyes. Then, I put my hands on the lockers again. "I never meant to hurt you." I made my voice quiet again.

She began to tremble noticeably now. "Then why did you do it?"

I broke our gaze for a moment to glance at her shaking hands. Why was she shaking so much? I looked back into her eyes, and she jumped slightly. "I had to," I could only tell her that much now. I owed her the truth. Maybe, in time, I could tell her the whole story.

But right now, I couldn't.

She shook her head, and the tears finally tumbled out of her eyes. At the sight of her tears -a physical manifestation of her pain- I gave in again, taking her face in my hands. Part of me knew better, knew that I shouldn't have even been there, standing in front of her. I knew that I should have just left, like she wanted me to. She wanted me as far away as possible from her, and she couldn't even stand the sight of me.

But I just couldn't walk away. I wanted to coddle her, hold her. I wanted to kiss her tears away, make everything okay. I would do anything to make it okay. But I was the one that caused this in the first place. "Bubbles, please believe me." My voice had taken another desperate turn.

Her heartbeat accelerated, and her tears fell faster. "I don't."

My heartbreak grew more and more with each tear that fell from her eyes, knowing that each and every one was my fault. I couldn't make it okay, not when I was the cause. Trying to make it better made it worse for her. Why was I so selfish? Why couldn't I control myself? "I'm so sorry." I knew those words would never atone for what I did, but I had to say them. I brought her face closer, cursing myself for it, but still wanting it so bad.

She screamed, "No!" The emotion that had dribbled into her voice before overcame her voice like crashing waves now.

She pushed me with enough force to throw me a few feet backward, then slapped me with a wounding, jarring force. I kept my face away from her, my hair a visual wall between us. I absorbed the throbbing pain, knowing damn well that it wasn't even half the pain she felt now.

"No." Her voice wobbled, but she spit each word out. " _No,_ you are _not_ sorry. Do you know how much you hurt me?" No. I would probably never really know. My cheek stung fiercely, but the guilt stung more. She continued without my reply. "No. You'll never know how much I was hurt, how much I cried, how much I _suffered_. I loved you. I needed you, and you _left_ me!"

Her words slit at my wounds. I vaguely felt something rolling down my cheeks. If I had been with anyone else, I would have been embarrassed. But I didn't now. I was too anguished to care.

She continued with her sad, miserable voice, "I needed you so much. And I thought you needed me too. But if you really needed me...no, if you really _loved_ me...you would have told me you were leaving, at least. You would have found some way to see me. You didn't."If only she knew. "You didn't even care. I meant nothing to you." She paused heavily. "You never really loved me, did you?"

My breath froze mid-flow in my lungs. My heartbeat sped, and I suddenly felt an anger that I rarely ever felt. I could hardly believe my ears.

I raised my glance to hers again. Her gaze followed the trail of tears down my face. When I spoke again, I tried to keep my voice calm.

"Okay," The emotions I smothered caught in my throat, my voice breaking. "I understand. I never expected you to still have feelings for me. I accept your anger. I deserve your anger." Suddenly, my feelings took over, overwhelming me. I paused and looked at the shiny, tiled floor. My heart raced with the emotions that charged it, sending my adrenaline into overdrive. I stared into her eyes again, making damn sure that she understood the words that would come out of my mouth next. "But don't _ever_ fucking say that I don't love you." Her eyes widened, and the last of the cloudiness in her eyes disappeared. I continued, the words flowing out of me before I could stop them. "I never stopped loving you. I never will. I'll always need you more than my own life. I'll always desire you more than anything I've ever wanted. I never deserved your love. I never will. I don't deserve _you_." I paused when my voice broke."I hate that I hurt you so much. I can see it, Bubbles. Your eyes...they used to be so joyful. Now they're filled with so much pain. I tainted you." I glanced away, my tears burning the skin it touched as they emerged from my eyes. I clutched at my hair tightly, pulling until it hurt, knowing I could never make myself hurt as much as I had hurt her. "I hate myself. I hate myself so much."

For half a year, I had despised everything about myself. I still did now. I hated who I was without her.

Suddenly, she was right in front of me. At her touch on my shoulder, I jumped slightly. She said, "No, stop. Stop saying that."

I shook my head, unwilling to accept her sympathy, if that was what it was. I didn't deserve it. I took her hand in mine, squeezing it and hating myself some more. "Why? It's true. I ruined who you were. And I'm so selfish. I know that I ruined any chance of ever being with you, but...I still _want_ you so much." Everything inside of me ached to touch her the why I wanted to, but I couldn't. _Me, me, fucking me!_ Why was it always about me?

"Boomer, stop it." Her voice was an octave higher. "Stop saying things like that."

Right, of course. I was probably just upsetting her more when I told her things like that. Why couldn't I shut up? This was all a mistake. I'd ruined everything. I became overwhelmed with shame. "Things like what?"

"Things like, 'I'm so selfish'. That's not true, so stop it right now." She had began to sob, her breaths turning to hiccups.

I was confused now. Why would she say that it isn't true? Didn't she hate me? "What do you mean?"

"There's nothing wrong with you. And you're wrong." To my blatant surprise, she reached out to take my face in her hands. Her hands were so soft, they felt like a dream. Her beautiful eyes bored into mine sternly. "I'm the one that doesn't deserve _you._ And _I'm_ selfish."

Her statements were so untrue, they were absurd. I opened my mouth to protest, saying, "Bubbles-" but she continued before I could.

"I don't deserve you because you're amazing, even if you don't realize it. And I'm selfish because whenever I see those other girls surrounding you and fawning all over you...I become absolutely sure that none of them could ever love you as much as I do."

My heart skipped a beat. She loved me. She still loved me.

She'd actually thought those other girls meant something to me. She'd actually thought I would consider any of them.

Part of me still refused to believe that she really loved me, especially after what I had inexcusably done to her. But then I remembered, she was Bubbles. The blindingly beautiful, gracious angel that walked this very Earth, sent from heaven. She'd had the capability to fall in love with me after I had beaten and bruised her so many times when I'd still been a mindless, cruel, disgusting shell of a person. I couldn't even fathom why, but part of me had the small grain of hope that she could still love me now.

I placed my hands over hers. "Bubbles...those girls don't mean anything to me."

She took her hands back to feebly wipe at the tears streaming from her eyes. Sobs still racked through her small body. "They don't?" It was then that I noticed that her voice still held part of the sweetness I had searched for earlier.

Maybe there really was hope. Maybe I could make things right.

I shook my head. "No, baby." I gently pushed her hands away from her cheeks, swabbing at the wet patches on her soft skin with my fingers. "You're the only girl that I care about. You're the one that I love." The words didn't feel nearly adequate enough.

She leaned into my touch. Her teary eyes stared into mine. "And one last thing, Boomer Jojo." A hiccup interrupted her flow of words. "Don't _ever_ say that you hate yourself again. _Ever._ "

My soul melted into a puddle. I lost it again.

I scooped her into my arms, bringing her closer to me. She let me. I shoved one of my hands into her hair, tangling my fingers through the silky, golden strands. My eyes never left hers, and I brought our faces impossibly closer. I pulled her mouth to mine. An explosion of pure weakness crashed through me, and the familiar desperate ache of affection took over. I vaguely felt her legs shift beneath her, but I held onto her tightly against the lockers so that she wouldn't fall.

If she honestly still wanted me, even just a little bit, I swore to myself that I wouldn't ever let her fall again.

Her hands clutched at my back, her fingers pinching at the cotton of my shirt as if trying to keep me there. As if she thought I weren't real, and at any moment, I would be gone again.

In subconscious response, I held her tighter. She was a part of me.

And now that I had that part of me back, life would never be the same again.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

The rest of the day passed achingly slow.

In the crowded hallways after lunch, I saw no sign of Bubbles at all. I looked everywhere. I had even texted her a few more times, but she didn't answer any of them. By now, I was a nervous wreck.

I didn't have any classes with her in the afternoon, so there was no way of me seeing her there. Between sixth and seventh hour, I hadn't seen her, and neither the passing period between seventh and eighth hour.

Finally, I got desperate during eighth hour. I pulled out my phone, concealing it under the edge of the desk carefully.

**'Buttercup! Did Bubbles go home early?'**

There was that possibility. Maybe she just gotten really...sick...and she'd forgotten to tell me.

But that was the problem. We hardly ever got sick, the Chemical X in our system kept us immune to most human viruses. The only instance I could remember was when the Amoeba Boys had gotten the entire town sick more than a decade ago. That had been a special case, though.

I waited for my sisters' reply. I was used to Buttercup taking longer, she always took forever to reply. Then, five minutes later, she sent me:

**'no. y? havent u seen her?'**

I shuddered. The grammar in Buttercups' text messages had always irked me. I typed my response.

**'No, I haven't. Not since this morning in 5th hour. She wasn't even at lunch!'**

As I typed, I looked up occasionally at my Art teacher, Mrs. Matthews, whom was currently giving a lecture about Charles Schulz. I had a seat toward the back of the classroom, so if I peeked up every time she looked toward my side of the room, she wouldn't notice. Though, nobody was really paying attention. Mrs. Matthews always seemed to be the one most interested with her lectures. Not even the art nerds bothered listening today.

My phone's screen lit up with Buttercup's reply.

**'well, shes not here. keep looking.'**

I pressed my lips together in annoyance. Buttercup didn't seem concerned at all.

**'I've looked everywhere! I've even texted her, and she didn't answer!'**

The florescent lights above our heads went out abruptly, and I looked over to the door to see Mrs. Matthews rolling in an older-looking television on wheels. She peered at us behind her large wire-rimmed glasses.

"This should be of interest to you kids." She switched on the television and turned on the VCR. We all waited for a moment, watching the blue screen. Then, when the screen burst with color, many students were pleased to see an old Charlie Brown cartoon beginning to play. I really couldn't care less at the moment. I rolled my eyes as they sang along with the opening music.

My phone buzzed.

**'dont worry abt it, pinky. shes probly fine.'**

I shuddered again.

**'Probably. But what if she isn't?'**

After five minutes of waiting for her reply and getting none, I assumed she'd decided the conversation was over. I sighed, shut my phone and turned my attention to Lucy yanking the football away from Charlie Brown. A few minutes later, my phone vibrated again, and I thought Buttercup hadn't given up on our conversation after all.

But the muscles in my shoulders relaxed when I saw the name on the ID. My Bubbles! I clutched at my heart with my unoccupied hand. Thank goodness.

**'okay, okay. cool it, Bloss! i'm fine.'**

Thank God my Bubbles was okay. I was so overwhelmed with relief, I almost started crying. I clapped a hand over my mouth before I typed my reply.

**'Oh my God, Bubbles. Where are you? Where have you been? Do you know how worried I've been?'**

Comfort was still there, but as I began think about _where_ she could be and how _long_ she had been there, anxiety began bubbling in my throat. My phone buzzed, and I almost dropped it.

**'seriously, please stop worrying! i'll explain everything soon. i'll meet you at home after school!'**

Well, she seemed fine. And she said she'd explain everything soon. _Everything?_ What was everything? That obviously meant something had happened. I almost started writing my response, but her text screamed 'I can't talk now'. I was unhappy about not knowing what was going on, but Bubbles seemed okay. I knew she could handle it, whatever it was.

And I would find out everything eventually. I would just have to wait.

* * *

**-Bubbles' POV-**

I toggled through each of Blossom's frantic text messages, and I heaved a sigh.

Each one seemed to grow in anxiety.

**'Dude, where are you? Lunch is almost over. Are you okay?'**

And then, **'Okay, really! I haven't seen you anywhere! Where are you?'**

And then the worst one, ' **Seriously, where have you been? Text me back!'**

I hadn't ignored her on purpose. Honestly, I hadn't. I'd just been...well, preoccupied. When I stopped to think about the past few hours, my head began to swim. So much had happened in just one day. I closed my eyes for a moment, rubbing my temples. The slight pressure helped relieve the dizziness for a moment. I put my phone away.

We had been sitting in his car, parked in the junior parking lot, for hours. His car was a metallic blue Audi, as he told me. I couldn't remember the model number, I had never been that good with cars. What I did know, though, was that Audis were supposedly really nice, expensive cars. Part of me was envious, actually. Professor claimed that my sisters and I didn't need cars when we had superpowers. Sure, that was true, but that didn't really help us blend in as normal teenagers. Well, we never really blended in the first place, but it was nice to try sometimes, at least.

When we had approached his car earlier and I had asked him how he could have afforded it, an embarrassed grimace appeared on his face. "Um, well..." His voice had trailed off, and his cheeks reddened. "You know."

It registered what his embarrassment meant, and I had nodded uncomfortably. After all, I had completely forgotten about his villain side. But it had been so long since he and his brothers had committed _any_ serious crime. I wasn't really sure what to do about it now.

"It was a few years back. I was fourteen." He had assured me as I closely looked over his ride. I came to the conclusion that he must have liked it a lot, since there weren't any scratches or dents. It looked well taken care of. "It was kind of stupid that we stole them before we could even get a driver's license, though." His eyes had flickered to mine as soon as he let that slip, his eyes hesitant.

I laughed uneasily. "I'm not going to bust you for it or anything," I'd said, shaking my head. Even if he had stolen it when he was fourteen, I didn't really care. Well, I _kind_ of did. Sort of. I knew that should have worried me, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to be that upset about it. Probably because my mind was completely clouded with bliss over the fact that we had just made out in the school hallway.

He'd looked at me carefully. "Really? You aren't? I wouldn't blame you if you did."

I smiled at him. "Of course! I wouldn't arrest my own boyfr-" I had stopped mid-word, realizing what I had been about to say. I put my hand over my mouth, my eyes widening in shock at myself. Was he even my boyfriend? I wasn't completely sure, we hadn't really talked about that yet. Maybe I was pushing things further than they actually were. We had _just_ made up, what had I been thinking? I'd felt my entire face flush pink.

His eyes brightened with amusement, and somewhere in them, I though I saw a bit of secretive pleasure. "Boyfriend, eh?" He stepped toward me, his hands easing onto the small of my back. He pulled me closer to him, and my heart shuddered in my chest. "Well, I'd like to hope you wouldn't arrest your own boyfriend. Even if we just started dating half an hour ago." He leaned in closer, the tip of his nose brushing mine. He pursed his lips, smirking in a way that looked completely inviting. "I'll be a good boy."

At his complete and utter sexiness, in spite of myself, I felt my knees weaken, and they buckled beneath me.

He had strengthened his hold, and his smile widened. "Whoa, whoa there! Don't pass out on me, sweetie. We're not even in the car yet."

I'd laughed in embarrassment, and then he'd joined me. He'd held the passenger door open for me as I got into the car, and then came hours and hours of conversation. I felt kind of guilty about skipping class, especially since I had missed so much school earlier that week. But it was so worth it, especially if I got to be with him the entire time. We had talked about so much, for so long, and understandably, I had lost track of time. No wonder Blossom was so worried.

"You okay, babe?"

My eyes snapped open. The sound of his voice startled me, I still wasn't used to hearing it. It was silky smooth, serene, effortlessly gorgeous. No words could explain how it made me feel. I glanced at him. "Yeah, I'm fine." I gave him a small, reassuring smile. "I was just texting Blossom. She's so worried."

"Worried?" He repeated, taking my hand in his. He laced our fingers together, and he turned our hands, resting mine so it was on the smooth, black leather upholstery.

"Definitely worried. But, you know, that's just her."

"She worries a lot?"

I laughed bleakly. "All the time. She's probably going to nail me with questions when I get home. Professor, too."

"I'm sorry."

"I'll live through it." Maybe. I chuckled ruefully, and then I paused in thought.

He read into my sudden silence and rubbed a thumb soothingly over mine. "What's on your mind?"

I looked up at him, and his eyes had hidden questions in them again. I took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. It sounded kind of melodramatic coming out of me, but I didn't take much notice. It was beside the point, anyway. "You know we'll have to tell them."

His hand tightened around mine, and his face grew serious. "Of course we do."

"We couldn't keep it from them. You know that." It was something we couldn't avoid. We couldn't hide it, either. Someone would eventually find out, and if they found out from anyone else besides us, it would be apocalyptic. Besides, I could have never lied to my sisters about it. I always told them absolutely everything.

"I know."

"I couldn't lie to them."

"I know." He brought our folded hands up to his lips, and he planted a small kiss on the back of my hand. The mesmerizing feeling of his lips against my skin almost distracted me from what we were talking about, but I snapped myself out of it.

"You know they're not going to like it," I said grimly.

Grief passed through his eyes for a moment, then he smothered it before he thought I'd be able see it. "Yeah."

I leaned over the armrest and rested my head on his broad shoulder. "There's nothing and nobody that could separate me from you now. You know that, right?" I said this in a quieter, hushed tone.

He didn't answer that. Instead, he said something else. "But I know how much it'll hurt you. I couldn't stand to see you hurt again because of me."

My forehead crumpled, and I leaned my face upward so he would be able to see it. "Boomer, stop it." I grasped our folded hands with my other hand, rubbing the back of his. "They'll forgive me. They have to, they're my sisters. They love me."

His face was still hesitant, and I dropped my gaze. I scooted closer, nuzzling my head into the crook of his neck. I knew the reason for his silence was his self-hatred, and I felt a small pinch in my stomach. I started again. "It's worth it to me, Boomer. You're worth it. They'll probably be upset, but they'll just have to deal with it. I love them, but-" In one movement, I sat up and faced him completely. "-nothing they could ever say would drive me away from you."

His eyelids lowered slightly, and slowly, he brought our hands up to his face to kiss my hand again. His voice was low, but I could tell there was more hope in it this time. "Okay."

I laid my head on his shoulder again. "Okay." I repeated in a softer tone. "Promise me you won't beat yourself up about it."

He nodded and put his chin on top of my head. There was a moment of needed silence, and then he spoke up again. "So, after school?"

A pang of nervous excitement and dread washed through me. "Yeah. After school."

Even though neither of us said it aloud, I was pretty sure we both weren't exactly ready to break the news to everyone. Well, everyone meaning...my family. But we would have to do it eventually, so why not just get it over with?

We jumped in unison when almost on cue, we heard the final dismissal bell ring from inside the school building some ways away. We exchanged a look, and then Boomer let go of my hand to dig into his pocket for the car keys. He put the key into the ignition, twisted it, and the engine roared to life. He glanced at me again, his eyes apprehensive.

I nodded, fixing my facial expression so it looked like what I hoped was determination. "I'm ready." I wasn't, but I had no choice.

He took my hand again, and he drove out of the parking lot, taking the longest route to my house.

* * *

**-Buttercup's POV-**

I tapped my foot impatiently against the leg of the coffee table.

When was Blossom coming home, already? School had released about fifteen minutes ago, and it only took us about five minutes to fly to and from school. What was keeping her?

Dammit. Her nervousness rubbed off on me. Now _I_ was worried about Bubbles. Was she okay? Would she come home with Blossom? I glanced at the clock again, and it only a minute had passed since the last time I looked. How is it that whenever you're waiting for time to pass faster, it passes so much slower?

The front door opened.

I jumped to my feet, turning to face the newcomer, and it was Blossom. I looked behind her. No Bubbles.

"Where's Bubbles?" Blossom and I asked this simultaneously, and when we finished, we stared at each other in disbelief.

"She's not with you?" I shouted, angry at nobody in particular.

Blossom shook her head. "No! She's not home yet?" She asked this at almost the exact same volume.

" _No._ " My voice grew in volume again. "Where the hell is she?"

I heard Professor clomping up the stairs from his basement laboratory, and I suddenly remembered he had been doing doing an experiment. He didn't like any kind of noise when he was doing experiments. I even remembered instances of him taking the television from the living room and actually putting it into an armed safe. He'd kept it there until he had finished the experiment. That was the longest week of my life.

The laboratory door burst open. "What in the world is going on? Why is there so much shouting?" Professor said in a loud voice as well, and his eyebrows were furrowed. "You girls know I'm trying to work, here-" He stopped and looked between the two of us, then he looked behind us. He looked confused. "Where's Bubbles?"

I threw my hands up in exasperation, and Blossom sighed. "We have no idea," Blossom said, her voice calmer. "She said she was going to be here after school."

"And she's _not_ here." Professor chimed in, probably just to confirm what we had said. It just annoyed me further, though.

"Yeah, _we know_." I snapped. Thank you, captain obvious.

He ignored my attitude. "Well, then, should we go out and search for her? Where else could she be?"

"I don't know if-" The sound of the front door opening cut Blossom off, and we whirled to see our blonde sister stepping through it.

" _Bubbles!_ " This had come from all three of us, one tone was relieved, another was aggravated, and the last was exasperated. Even though I was relieved, I couldn't help but be upset that she had worried us like that. What had she been doing, anyway?

She glanced up at the use of her name, and she smiled at us. I noticed that the smile wasn't her genuine, bright smile. This smile was more of a nervous, insecure one. I also took notice that she wasn't really _in_ , she was peeking her head and shoulders in. "Hey, everyone." Her voice sounded nervous, too. Why would she be nervous?

"Do you know how _worried_ we were?!" Blossom almost sounded hysterical, kind of like how a mother would be after seeing her child almost fall out of a tree.

"Honey, where were you?" Professor's tone was concerned, but he seemed more relieved then Blossom and I.

I finally decided to ask, since Blossom and Professor hadn't seemed to notice. "Why won't you come in?" My voice was full of suspicion.

Bubbles wide eyes snapped to mine, looking panic stricken for a moment. Then, she smiled another worried-looking smile. "Right," she paused, her visible hand gripping the edge of the door. Her fingers fidgeted. We all waited for her to enter, but she didn't.

"Is there something wrong, Bubbles?" Professor asked, more concerned now.

"Um," She took another long pause, and then she continued skittishly. "I have to tell you guys something important."

Professor sat down on the couch, and Blossom unfolded her arms. "Okay," Blossom coaxed, looking at her expectantly. I didn't say anything, just eyed her suspiciously.

Bubbles nodded in a way that made it look like she was convincing herself to do something, and then she took a small step forward. She pushed the door open the rest of the way, and it revealed that there was someone else behind her. She held hands with the stranger, and when she stepped out of the way, I realized that it wasn't a stranger at all.

It was Boomer of the Rowdyruff Boys.

Everyone in the room stopped cold. At first, the realization hadn't completely hit me. I just stared at her in confusion, and my gaze lowered to their hands. Their fingers were interlaced.

Then, rage blistered through me so quickly, I hadn't even seen it coming.


	18. Sympathy

**Chapter Eighteen**

**-Blossom's POV-**

For a moment, things happened almost faster than I could comprehend.

 _Almost_ being the key word. Of course, me being me, everything that unfolded next I took in with a critical eye.

In a flash of bright green, Buttercup threw herself toward the blue Rowdyruff brother with blinding speed. For a split half-second, shock paralyzed me. Even seeing things with my own eyes, I still wasn't sure I completely understood what was going on.

My blue-eyed sister was standing in the doorway, and Boomer stood beside her. They held hands firmly, and their fingers were intertwined together. They looked like a couple. I was thoroughly confused. He'd broken her heart. Of that, I was absolutely sure. Unless I had imagined the past week or so, but I hadn't. So I was sure.

But then why was he here, in _our_ house, holding her hand?

The next half-second, I glanced at the blurring green menace that Buttercup turned into when she became enraged-she was barreling toward them. Without even stopping to think, I flung myself toward her, blocking her path. I gripped both of her arms and brought them behind her, wrapping my fingers around her wrists in a steel grip. I jerked her backwards, and the sudden movement caused the fluffy white carpet beneath our feet to tear. It bunched around our legs.

She writhed like an angry pit bull struggling against a chain-link leash, and I squeezed my eyelids shut against the strain. She shouted at me-it was a throaty, alarmingly intimidating scream of fury. I grit my teeth. She lifted one of her feet abruptly and crushed it to the ground. Her heel almost pounded into my toes, but I moved them in time. The walls shook from the force of the blow, and a few picture frames that were hung up fell to the ground. The glass protecting the pictures inside shattered.

I strengthened my hold on her, still clenching my teeth together. I opened my eyes, looking at the two blondes by the door.

Bubbles now stood in front of Boomer protectively, her brow furrowed in brave determination. Boomer had a mixed expression on his face, of alarm and slight worry. I would have sighed in frustration, but at that moment, I had to concentrate on restraining Buttercup from killing our... _guest_. Bubbles should have known there would be this reaction. Why had she brought him here? What was she thinking? What was even going on?

Buttercup twisted her head around at an angle that looked like it might have strained her neck if she were human. Her piercing green eyes were wild and furious as she stared at me, and her pupils were shrunken so small, they were just a dot in the middle of her irises. Her face was bright red. "Let go of me, Red." She demanded this through clenched teeth, and she tried to tear her arms from my grip again.

I felt my brow furrow. "No, I'm not going to let go of you. Buttercup, you need to calm down. Now."

She swung her arms again in attempt to knock me over. In a swift movement, I moved my left arm to her neck in a headlock before she could react. Then, I moved my other arm to wrap around her torso, her arms included, and with that I had successfully put her in a full body lock that she couldn't escape from, try as she might. Buttercup may have been a menace when she was angry, but that didn't mean she was any stronger than I was. She let out another roar as she writhed even more, and I hoped I could hold on my own, since Bubbles wouldn't help me. I still sensed Professor sitting on the couch behind us, and I knew he would stop things if they got too far.

"Calm down? How could you say that?" Buttercup bellowed at me, clearly ignoring my instruction. "How could you stand up for that...that _bastard?_ " She emphasized the last word, and I looked at Bubbles in time to see her face lighten with anger.

"Don't you dare call him that!" She shouted this, not as loudly as Buttercup. Though, I don't think anyone could manage that.

Buttercup turned to face Bubbles again. I complied, but still kept my hold tight and unyielding. "What the _fuck_ is this, Bubbles? What's wrong with you?"

Bubbles eyes narrowed further, creating a frightening expression that I had never seen on her face outside of fighting villains. It was brutal, venomous. And part of me already knew her answer before she said it. I braced myself. "Be as mad as you want, Buttercup. I don't care. Boomer and I are together now, and nothing you say will change that. I _love_ him _._ "

With another shout of anger, Buttercup lurched forward so violently, it knocked both of us off our feet and to the ground. We fell with such force, the ground shook. A vase of flowers on the table jumped over the edge and crashed to the ground. Her legs scrambled, her toes trying to grip the ruined carpet, and one of them knocked into a leg of the coffee table. The table flipped, and Professor had to duck out of the way to avoid getting hit.

"Buttercup! Stop!" I shouted.

" _I'm gonna kill him!_ " Buttercup screamed. "I swear to God! I'm going to _kill him!_ " She managed to get her arms loose from my hold in my shock at her saying this, and she clawed at the ground toward them, dragging me with her. Her strong fingers tore through more carpet with ease, as if it were tissue paper.

" _Buttercup!_ " I got up on my knees and yanked her head back in another headlock, harsher this time, pulling upward until I could tell it hurt. She stopped moving abruptly, her teeth clenched together again. She glared up at me, her eyes full of hatred, but I matched her glare right back down at her.

Something in my determination made her pause. She shifted her glare Bubbles' general direction, though she couldn't move her head. "So, what? You're just going to forget all of the shit he put you through? All the shit his brothers put us through? All of it? It doesn't matter anymore? Just like that?"

I vaguely heard Professor's sigh of disapproval at her language. I glanced at Boomer again, and he was hanging his head, his face turned away from us. I was angry at them too, as well as confused, but I analyzed his body language further and something occurred to me. He looked...remorseful. An expression I hadn't ever seen on him before, not even once.

Was it for the reason I didn't think was possible?

Bubbles said nothing at what Buttercup had said to her, but she kept her fierce expression. Buttercup snorted mockingly at her silence, but it almost sounded hysterical saturated in so much anger. "Wow. This is low." She strained her chin against my hold, so I let her head go. The only reason I felt comfortable letting her go was because I felt her muscles unclench, relaxing the slightest bit. She also didn't make any move to fully escape my grip again. "I should have known you would do this to us! I knew you were weak, but I didn't think you would be this pathetic."

Her words stung even me. She was going a bit too far. "Buttercup, enough. That's a terrible thing to say. Why would you-"

She cut me off. "What? So know you're defending _her_ now, too?" She paused, searching for words, and glanced back at me. "This bitch that you call our sister?"

This shocked me. She was really going too far. I looked at Bubbles, and a wounded expression slowly spread across her face. Her blue eyes darkened. I looked back down at our brunette sister. "Buttercup! Apologize. Right now. How could you call her that?"

"How could you take her side?" Buttercup cut back at me.

I paused, but when I opened my mouth to answer, Bubbles' upset voice came before mine could.

"Because she actually cares about me." We both looked up at her again, and now Bubbles eyes were welled up with angry tears. Her chin bobbled, and she looked so hurt that it hurt me too. "She still loves me, no matter what I do." Her voice raised an octave. "That's what families do. And you know, I really thought you cared about me too. I thought that went without saying." Buttercup opened her mouth, but Bubbles cut her off. "So you know what, Buttercup?" She paused, and she clenched her jaw. "Just deal with it. You can't change my mind about this. None of you can." Tears ran down her face now. Boomer placed his forehead on her shoulder, and she put her hand on the back of his head, her fingers stroking his hair in a way that looked like she was comforting him. I found this a little strange, because it looked like she was the one that needed comforting. She turned her face toward him slightly, but she still stared us down through her watery eyes. The emotion in her eyes was so strong, it was almost too much to bear. "I love him more than anything. Nothing can change that."

Professor, the angry Buttercup and I froze again. Buttercup's breathing even calmed down to a normal pace. I tore my gaze from the blondes to glance at her face, and I didn't see what I thought I'd see. She stared blankly at Bubbles, her eyes void of any emotion besides two-hurt and betrayal. For a minute, there was silence. It was so quiet, my ears rung.

Then, Buttercup's weight shifted beneath me. Not in a violent way, though. I could tell she wanted to leave. I got off of her back, and she stood shakily. I stood too, and I watched her warily. I noticed her shoulders remained stiff, and I knew her dangerous mood wasn't completely gone. She shoved past me roughly, and not even a second later, she disappeared in a neon green flash up the stairs. We all stared after her. Then the room filled with Bubbles' quiet sniffling.

Though still apprehensive, confused and a bit angry, I slowly paced across the floor. She watched me come toward her through her tears. As I approached, I gave Boomer a neutral glance. He eyed me back, wary but completely nonthreatening-maybe even a little intimidated. And seemingly miserable at the mess he'd caused. Deciding he clearly didn't need any more threats or verbal attacks in the space of ten minutes, I gave the poor guy a civil nod of acknowledgement, and he nodded back. Then I took both of Bubbles' hands calmly, and I tried to manage a small smile.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

**-Bubbles' POV-**

Blossom, Professor and I sat at the dinner table in an awkward silence, and the soft scraping of forks and knives filled the room.

A few hours earlier, I had to break the news of Boomer and I to my family. There had been _almost_ the same reaction I was expecting. Initially, I had expected Blossom, Buttercup and Professor to kick me out of the house, disown me and then never speak to me again. Or something along the lines of that.

At least _that_ hadn't happened. But still, the reaction I received was still pretty bad.

Blossom, though, had handled it better than I had anticipated. In fact, I thought her reaction would be the worst out of all of them. Sure, I had envisioned Buttercup blowing up, but I thought Blossom's reaction would be more dramatic. I had prepared myself for hers, because I thought she would make me feel the worst. But she hadn't.

In fact, she'd had me explain everything to her thoroughly. I told her every detail, even with Boomer sitting there the entire time. Her eyes even welled up when mine did, and she had held my hand near the painful beginning. She'd supported me completely. After I was done, she had told me she was fine with it and gave me a warm and loving hug. She said she was happy for me. Boomer had shook hands with her, a wide and grateful smile on his face. He'd thanked her, and the blunt surprise on Blossom's face made me giggle.

Even though I was relieved she handled it so well, though, I still saw a hidden emotion in her eyes.

I knew I was hurting her and Buttercup because of this rash decision Boomer and I had made today. It killed me to know that. But I _needed_ Boomer...we needed each other. I couldn't live without him again. We couldn't live without _each other_ again. This option was much better than the other option, the option that had the both of us so miserable.

But I couldn't live without my sisters either.

I had hoped beyond hope that I could have all of them at the same time, but that proved to be wishful thinking.

Currently, my green-eyed sister was upstairs in her room, brooding and enraged. She had quite the outburst at my news, and she had called me a bitch, something she very rarely called one of her own sisters. It stung a lot, and I actually started crying. I knew it would take a while to win her trust again. Buttercup's reaction was easily the worst, and there was evidence of it in the living room. Poor Professor would have to replace the carpet again.

Speaking of Professor, he had handled it moderately well. He didn't scream or yell at us. Instead, taking his role of a protective parent, he'd shook hands firmly with Boomer. Though he had a wary expression on his face, when Boomer told him that he'd take care of me (which made me blush), Professor nodded and thanked him. He also told him, with a polite, pleasant-looking grin on his face, that if he broke my heart again, he had Antidote X waiting in the lab for that very moment. Boomer had stared at him in apprehension. I hadn't known whether to feel appalled or embarrassed.

After that, Professor made Boomer leave, but he let us say our goodbyes first.

I have to admit, I felt a bit panicky at the thought of him leaving. I didn't think I could handle him being gone again. As he left, though, he assured me he would call me until I somewhat believed him enough to stop hugging him. I was still hesitant about it, and I honestly wanted to believe him, with every fiber of my being I wanted to. But part of me was still distrustful. Maybe it would grow easier for me to trust him with time.

It was interesting, how fast it happened-us fighting, then making up and immediately and finally getting together for real. I almost laughed out loud at the irony. That morning when I had woken up, I had dreaded even thinking of him. I was heartbroken and not myself anymore. Now, he was my boyfriend, and it was like he had never even hurt me in the first place.

I stirred in the chair I sat in when I remembered he wasn't in my house anymore. I thickly swallowed the last bit of food on my plate. To distract myself from the aching, I placed the fork down on my plate and risked a glance at my family again.

Professor had already finished his dinner, and he now had his reader glasses on, fiddling with his Blackberry. Blossom was finishing the last of her dinner. She had a concentration line between her neat eyebrows, which told me she was deep in thought. Suddenly, Professor set his phone down on the table, and my eyes flickered toward the movement.

"Bubbles," He spoke in a voice that had an average volume, but when it suddenly broke the silence it seemed almost booming. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"

I nodded and waited for him to start, but when he stood, I got the implication that he meant he wanted to talk alone. I stood too and looked at Blossom for a moment. She met my gaze and gave me a small, encouraging smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. I followed Professor into the family room, and we sat down on the couch.

As soon as we sat, he started. "I want to talk to you about Boomer."

Somehow, I had already expected our conversation to be about him. I swallowed, my nerves bubbling again. "Okay."

Professor nodded once at my response then his mouth formed a stern line. "I'm concerned about this, honey. What if this ends...badly?"

I knew what he meant, but I decided to pretend not to. The old familiar empty ache flared up for a moment. "What do you mean?" I knew that my feigned confusion hadn't reached my face, because it felt blank.

Professor sighed and took off his reading glasses. He folded them slowly and shook his head. "You know what I mean, Bubbles. I saw how much you changed after he hurt you. I think _everyone_ could." The ache lurched into my throat. Everyone had noticed? I had been trying my best to hide it. I hadn't wanted anyone to notice, or to drag anyone down with my mood. "And I know you tried to act like you were okay, but I could tell that you weren't." He paused again. "And...I mean, what if it happens again? I know you really like him-"

I cut in, "I love him."

Something about my expression caused him to pause and stare at me for a moment. Then, he reached over to take one of my hands. "I just don't want you to get hurt again, sweetheart. Seeing you like that hurt me too." He shook his head, his eyes shadowed. "Seeing you like that, month after month...I felt so helpless. As a father, I didn't know how I could help you."

I felt sympathy and shame at the same time. "I'm better now, though. And he's not going to hurt me again. Remember, he promised you that he'd take care of me."

At my last words, he flinched. "I know. But, to be honest, this is hard for me. I know you're growing up, but the thought of letting you go off to some boy that has already broken your heart terrifies me."

I squeezed his hand. "Profe..." My voice trailed off, and I started again. "Dad, please trust me on this. I know that he's not going to hurt me again. I'm absolutely sure. And...I'm crazy about him." I was so used to calling him Professor, sometimes it felt strange to call him 'dad'. But I felt it was appropriate in this situation.

One corner of his mouth turned upward. "I can tell."

I returned his smile. "And just because I have a boyfriend now, it doesn't mean I can't be your little girl anymore."

It was true, Boomer happened to be my first official boyfriend. I'd had a few in middle school, but they were just the shallow, 'I like you', 'I like you too' types. They also didn't last longer than a few weeks, and they never meant anything to me. Besides, they all seemed so ridiculous to me now because I couldn't ever imagine being with someone other than Boomer.

Professor's smile broadened, even though I still saw sadness in his eyes. "Okay. But..." He paused, and leaned forward slightly. His smile disappeared. "If he messes up even once, I _will_ step in."

Though his warning intimidated me a little, I didn't let myself worry. I nodded. "Okay."

He relaxed back to the position he was in before, and his grin returned. "And don't worry about Buttercup. She's just a bit disappointed. She'll come around soon."

At the mention of Buttercup, I stiffened. I didn't respond to this. How 'soon' would soon be? Six weeks? Six months? Six years? Buttercup had always been able to hold monster grudges. Multiple years from then, if Boomer wanted to marry me, and we ended up getting married, maybe she would _never_ be able to forgive me.

After a few moments of both of us saying nothing, Professor scooped me up into a big hug. I hugged him back in relief, secretly glad that he was still okay with Boomer and I. Then, Blossom appeared in the entryway of the living room. I met her gaze again, and she mouthed, "I'll talk to her."

I smiled in appreciation, and she turned soundlessly for the stairs. I knew Blossom's attempt would be futile, so I reminded myself to keep my hopes down.

I felt another pang of dread as I watched her glide up the stairs.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

I stood in front of Buttercup's door for a few moments, staring at the checkered green and black paint. Why was I doing this? I knew it wouldn't help anything or anybody. But I felt like I at least had to try. What Bubbles did took a lot of courage, more than I could have given her credit for. She hadn't deserved to be treated like that. I was a bit mad at first, too, but when I heard what happened, and how it had happened, I just couldn't stay angry at her.

And I watched Boomer while she explained everything. He looked so... _different_. He wasn't the Boomer I had seen in battles or standing outside of a bank with bags of money in his hands. He was a completely different person. It was as if Bubbles had changed him-which, by the way, was very believable. Bubbles had an impact on people that even she didn't realize. And she didn't do it on purpose. It's just that when someone spends any amount of time around someone that inherently _good_ it was impossible not to be a better person, too.

And it's not like she and Boomer could've been able to spend any more time apart from one another. She and Boomer were just _meant_ to be together. I would have done the same thing she did, if I were in her shoes.

And I knew Buttercup probably would have too-though she wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, not for a million dollars. I sighed and finally knocked on the door softly. I got an immediate, impatient answer.

"Go away."

I sighed again, this time in exasperation. "Buttercup, come on. Let me in."

Another curt reply. "No. Leave me alone."

"I'm not going anywhere." I brought my professional-sounding leader voice out on her. I folded my arms, even though she couldn't see them. "Enough with the dramatics. Now, let me in."

After a second of silence, she snarled and flung her door open. Her eyes were angry, but they weren't as enraged as before. Now they just held a bit of annoyance. "Make this quick. And if it's about dinner, I'm not hungry."

I couldn't help but notice the glance she threw behind my shoulder, as if making double sure that I was alone. "You know what it's about."

A more intense glare replaced the annoyance. "Well then, I'm busy."

In one fluid motion, I unfolded my arms and caught the edge of the door just before it slammed shut. She pushed on the wood barrier, but I pushed from the other side. I grunted against the strain. "Buttercup, she's our sister. Don't be ridiculous. You have to forgive her."

Even though she continued to push the door with all she had, her voice showed no signs of strain. "No, I don't have to. I don't have to do anything." Her voice took on a mocking tone.

"But what about all of the stuff you've been through together these past few months? Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

There was a pause, and then she replied in a too blank, too monotonous voice. "That doesn't matter anymore. I'll never forgive her for this." Then, she gave a particularly rough shove, and I snatched my hand back before it got crushed in the door frame. For a moment, I stared at the black and green paint again, my teeth clenched.

I knew Buttercup could hold one helluva grudge, but it seemed worse this time. Maybe it just seemed worse because of the situation, but still. She would have to come around eventually.

I turned my gaze to the clock in the hallway.

_7:03 PM_

I was beginning to feel the weight of the eventful day. I shook my head and started walking toward my room, thinking of anything I could do to keep me awake for a few hours. There was nothing good on TV, and I had already finished my make up work from the day before, the homework from today, and the homework for _tomorrow_. It had been way too easy for me, I needed a challenge. Maybe I could talk to the Principal and convince him to put me in a few honors classes.

As soon as I stepped into my room, I tore out the pink ribbon that kept my hair in a loose side-ponytail. Fatigue made my feet drag, so I lifted off of the ground and floated to my bed without bothering to close my door. I kicked off my flip-flops, laid back against my pillows and sighed in satisfaction. It had been such a long day.

And now, I had so much to think about. So much had happened that day, I flinched at the thought of what could happen the next day. But before I even had the chance to begin to think about anything that had happened, I was swept up into unconsciousness so fast, I hardly realized I was asleep.


	19. Agonized

**Chapter Nineteen**

**-Blossom's POV-**

I shoved my brand new Honors Calculus three-ring binder into my backpack.

It had taken my Math teacher long enough, but finally, I had been moved into Honors Calculus. I wanted to get into Statistics, but the Principal, Mr. Hawking, had insisted that I at least take Honors Calculus for the rest of the semester. I grudgingly agreed. Something told me that he didn't believe I could handle Statistics. I almost scoffed aloud at the thought. Truthfully, if I wanted, I could have most likely been out of school for a while by now. High school, college...everything. Since I started independent study at such a young age, I could honestly be _teaching_ my own classes by now.

But, it didn't interest me. I had planned on a normal school life from the beginning, and that's what I still intended on doing.

I would be starting my new class on Wednesday. I paused, chuckled under my breath, then almost shook my head in shame when I realized the thought excited me.

"Red," The expectant call of my green-eyed sister came to me from across the hall. I looked in her direction. She had an irritated look on her face, and she folded her arms at me.

I nodded at her. "Okay, I'm coming, hold on. We should wait for Bubbles." At this, she glared and turned away from me in disdain. I sighed.

It had been about a month since their fight. And I knew Buttercup was still angry about it, but I honestly hadn't thought she would be this stubborn. After the first week, I gave up on trying to convince her to forgive Bubbles. She hadn't budged one bit. She wouldn't talk to Bubbles, she wouldn't even look at her. She hated to even be in the same room with her.

Bubbles had eventually given up too. She gave up trying to apologize for something that really wasn't her fault, and she gave up trying to be sad and upset about it. And how could she be upset, with Boomer around? The two were inseparable. He walked her to all of her classes, and he even sat with us at the lunch table, to Buttercup's great discontent. She often sat somewhere else on those days. Either that, or she turned her chair completely around, arms folded. Completely ridiculous.

And the whole fight ordeal was getting in our way in battles, too. The week before, we had some college-aged villain wannabe attacking the town in an enormous manual robot. He should have been cake to defeat, but we had nearly lost because Buttercup had refused to work with Bubbles-she had practically ignored her being there at all. Even Bubbles had gotten frustrated. On the flight home I had given them both a spirited lecture that would go down in history.

It was beginning to be on the brink of childishness. I just wished she would give up her stubbornness and get over it.

But of course she wouldn't so easily. She was Buttercup.

As I put the last book in my book bag, I realized with a jolt that Boomer had probably driven Bubbles home. He came over more frequently now, to Buttercup's astronomic discontent. When he came over, she usually found an excuse to either leave the house or lock herself in her room.

I had to give her credit, though, at least she was restraining herself from trying to attack him again. Maybe it was the soft side of her, still wanting Bubbles to be happy. That Buttercup still had to be in there somewhere.

I waited by my locker for my blonde sister, and after no sign of her for five minutes, I decided that she had most likely gone home with Boomer. I slammed my locker shut, then strolled over to my annoyed sister.

"Can we go, already?" She asked impatiently as I approached her.

"Yeah, hold on." I told her. "First I have to say bye to Steven." She rolled her eyes at me again, sighing and wandering off again.

That's right, Steven. I ended up agreeing to go out with him. How could I let him down, when he liked me so much? He was ecstatic, and that Saturday, we had went to the movies. We saw a semi-cheesy horror movie and shared a popcorn. I honestly didn't find the movie scary whatsoever, just sat and ate popcorn and laughed at the most unbelievable parts, but Steven seemed pretty freaked out. I guess it didn't scare me because I had seen scarier things in real life. Plus, when you have superpowers, you're not afraid of much. But I feigned fear at some parts, just so he wouldn't feel bad. I wanted to seem like I was having a good time.

Did I really have a good time? Sure, I did. Steven was such a sweet guy, and when there were awkward moments, his cute nervousness made up for it. During some of the scariest parts of the movie, he held my hand. Again, he was adorable.

But when our hands touched, I didn't feel anything.

It wasn't like in middle school when I heard that someone cute liked me, and then I started to like them back because I liked the idea of someone cute liking me. I wished it was. Things weren't that simple anymore.

But I told myself that I wouldn't give up yet. I would force the feelings out if I needed to. It wasn't fair to Steven if I didn't at least try. We hadn't been on another date since then, but we continued to hang out at school and talk on the phone constantly.

"Blossom."

At the sound of his soft voice approaching behind me, I turned around to face him. His lips were curled in a gentle smile, and his smooth gray eyes were filled with things he wanted to say, but he smothered. His eyes held so much passion when he looked at me, it was overwhelming. I immediately averted my gaze to his hair.

"Hey, Steve," I greeted. "Buttercup and I are going home."

"Oh, okay." Steven held his arms out for a goodbye hug, and I followed suit, moving forward into his embrace. Whenever we embraced, it didn't feel right to me. It wasn't that it necessarily felt wrong, but it felt...strange. I couldn't really explain it, but for me it sort of felt like hugging a brother. But I definitely knew it wasn't that way for him-that was evidenced by the way his heart would pound in his chest and his face would be flushed after we pulled apart. I began to pull back, but he didn't budge. If anything, for just a moment, his arms around me tightened. "Call me, okay?" He whispered this into my ear, a little too close and sensual to be friendly. I nodded into his shoulder, and he finally let me go.

I turned away from him and waved over my shoulder as I said, "See you." When I glanced over my shoulder for his reply, he had a look of disappointment that was so immense, I had to look away. It was kind of like the look on a puppy's face when you're walking out the door without them. As if to say, 'Wait, where are you going? Aren't we going to play fetch again?' I couldn't stand to see that look on his face. Even though I didn't like him like that, he was growing on me. He was one of my closest friends by now, and I hated hurting him. Seeing his pain reminded me too much of my past.

As for my heartache for the past month, I had begun to practice suppressing it. I suppressed it to the point of nonrecognition, to the point that if I looked at Brick, I wouldn't feel anything. All I would feel was numbness. I didn't even feel the foreshadow of pain when I saw him with other girls. He usually switched girls every few days, and they never lasted more than three days each. The shock factor had wore off after about a week, and by now it was no news. He was officially the school player.

I truly pitied those girls he seemed to so easily snag into his trap, and I prayed that they would be spared more than I was.

I stopped just in front of an even more aggravated Buttercup. She folded her arms at me again. "Okay. You said goodbye to your boyfriend. Can we _please_ leave now?"

Irritation passed through me, brief but surprising. "He's not my boyfriend."

In response, she rolled her eyes wordlessly and stepped past me towards the front doors.

–-

Buttercup jerked to a stop a few feet away from our front door, her shoulders tensed. The fine hairs on her arms rose. Her eyes penetrated intensely into the wooden barrier.

I froze too, stopping about a foot away from her. I could practically feel negative energy seething from her. We both breathed shallow breaths, waiting for some sort of indicator of whether she could go in or not. In our silence, a sudden and pleasant-sounding baritone voice rang out in laughter. Buttercup's muscles strained so much more significantly, I swore I could hear them. Her breath huffed out of her nostrils in a whoosh.

"Dammit," She said under her breath. "He's here _again_." She continued to mumble under her breath, but the words were so strung together, I could barely understand it. It sounded kind of like, 'Doesn't he have his own freakin' house?'

I opened my mouth to respond with something sarcastic, but before I could, she swiftly turned to face me again.

"I'll see you later." She didn't wait for my reply. Instead, she sped off into the air towards her bedroom window. Lately, that was how she got into her room. For the most part, anyway. When Boomer wasn't there, she could actually use the front door.

I let my breath out in a heavy, long sigh and reached for the doorknob. As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by harmonic giggles coming from the kitchen. With any other people laughing so loud, it probably would have sounded a bit annoying, but the high soprano tone of Bubbles' voice sounded so good with Boomer's baritone one. It was pleasant, actually.

"I'm home," I called, even though they had probably already heard me come through the door.

Bubbles peeked around the door frame of the kitchen, her face bright and a smudge of white powder on her nose. I assumed it was flour. She looked cute like that. I couldn't help but smile back. "Hey, Bloss! No Steven today?"

I flinched visibly at his name. He had been over a few times, but in the end we had either studied or watched TV. Not very eventful. "No, not today."

"Oh, okay. Come in here! I haven't talked to you hardly at all today." Her face disappeared again when Boomer said something to her. I wasn't listening close enough to comprehend his words.

What she said was true. Since she and Boomer rarely ever left each other's sight, the only chance I got to talk to her was either before class or at our lockers. Sometimes not even at our lockers, because most of time he'd be there too. I walked through the entryway of the kitchen and immediately was surrounded by the scent of sugary frosting and something sweet and bready in the oven. It smelled delightful. My stomach growled. "What are you guys making?" I found them standing together, backs to me, by the kitchen island, cooking supplies scattered everywhere.

Bubbles turned her gaze to me again, and I noticed once again that her hair was in her classic pigtails today. The ends of them were slightly curled, and they sprung when she moved her head. Her eyes were bright and sparkling. I also noticed the apron she wore, complete with white lace, ruffles and bows. Boomer had his arm around her waist, and he turned to look at me too. He waved at me shyly.

Wow. They were so _cute_.

"We're making cupcakes!" Her voice rose with excitement. She absolutely loved baking anything. She looked at Boomer for a moment. "Right, honey?" He winked down at her. She looked away quickly, her cheeks flushed pink.

Seriously, why were they _so adorable_?

Bubbles continued. "You should help us, Blossom! We've only made a dozen so far, but they turned out bad."

I shrugged. Why not? "Sure, just let me wash my hands first." Besides, I couldn't even remember the last time I had baked something. I scrubbed and rinsed my hands in the kitchen sink, then shook them dry. I strolled to the other side of the island, across from the happy couple. It took a moment or two for me to realize that they didn't notice me standing there.

I cleared my throat, and they turned their eyes to me. "Okay, so...what should I do?"

Bubbles beamed at me again. "Well, we have a batch about to come out of the oven right now, and I think they're turning out nice. So, we should be able to decorate them soon!"

She'd said it with such enthusiasm, I just couldn't help being a little excited too. "Sounds good!"

The timer on the oven soon beeped, and as we waited for the cupcakes to cool, we talked about various things. It was mostly about school and television, and Bubbles and Boomer did most of the talking. I didn't feel shut out of the conversation, I was just so drawn to watching them. They stood so close, and their connection was so inevitable and magnetic. And i noticed that even when Bubbles was talking to me, he stared at her. When he looked at her, his gaze was saturated with so much compassion and adoration. It almost killed me to look at it. Not that it bothered me, I just wished someone would look at _me_ like that.

Steven flashed through my mind for a moment after I thought of that, but I shoved it away. Somehow, it just wasn't the same.

Finally, the cupcakes were cool enough to decorate, and I nearly sighed in relief. I needed a distraction.

"I got the strawberry frosting out for you, Bloss," Bubbles said, and she held the light pink package out to me.

I took it gratefully. "Thanks." If I were forced to eat something sugary and unhealthy for the rest of my life, I would choose strawberry frosting, hands down. Sometimes when Professor wasn't looking, I would get a huge spoonful and scoop a huge wad of it from the can and just lick the whole spoon clean. It was heavenly.

I took a spreading knife out of the utensil drawer and grabbed the nearest newly-baked chocolate dessert. It was still warm, and the heat leaked through the paper covering and warmed the tips of my fingers.

For a few minutes, we just spread icing on the miniature cakes in silence. Then, Bubbles broke the silence between the three of us. "I still can't believe you didn't try out for cheerleading, Blossom. Practice would be so fun with you there!"

I chuckled, my eyebrows raised. "I don't think I would be a good cheerleader, Bubbles. Plus, you have Crystal, remember?"

"That's true, but we both always miss you during practice. And, why not?" She cocked her head and licked some extra icing off of her finger.

I shrugged. "I don't know how to be one, pretty much."

Boomer interjected. "It's easy. Just wave pom-poms around and scream."

Bubbles swatted the back of her hand to his abs playfully. "Oh, shut up. It's more than just that!" Boomer chuckled at her reaction.

I laughed too. "I'm also not a fan of throwing people in the air." I glanced at the hand that held my cupcake, and upon finding that some icing had found its way to the back of my hand, I frowned slightly.

"Blossom, not you too!" She pretended to be insulted. "I didn't used to like cheerleaders either, but it's way better than I thought it would be. It's actually really competitive." She reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear and unknowingly left a glob of green frosting on her cheek.

"Competitive?" I echoed, smoothing the top of the frosting out on my cupcake. I actually knew exactly what she was talking about, but I mostly said it to coax the conversation out longer. I glanced up again, and I noticed Boomer was eyeing the smudge of frosting on her cheek. I could tell he was trying to look nonchalant about it, but I could bet it was bugging him. The corner of my mouth turned up.

"Yeah, really competitive! We're coming up with a rou-" Her words stopped mid-sentence when she reached up to scratch her cheek and left another huge smear of frosting on it. This time she noticed it. "Oh, crap."

In about the time it took me to blink, Boomer came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, dropping his cupcake on the counter. It landed frosting-side down, but he didn't seem to notice. He took her chin between two fingers and angled her face upward toward his. He brought her frosting-ridden cheek to his mouth and proceeded to kiss it off of her.

I froze, abruptly very uncomfortable. I looked down at my cupcake again. However, Bubbles didn't seem to notice. She continued talking.

"Anyway, we're coming up with a routine for a competition later this year. It's _so_ good so far. Oh my God, Blossom, its _so_ much fun-" Her voice became muffled, and I looked up to see why. I quickly found out.

Boomer had long gotten rid of the frosting on her cheek, and he kissed her lips in way that was so gentle and affectionate, I suddenly felt uneasy, like an intruder. Apparently, he had forgotten I was there. It would make sense, and I actually didn't blame him. He looked at Bubbles like she was the only girl in the room.

Bubbles got swept into the passion, and she closed her eyes as her face turned a dainty pink. I suppose she forgot I was there, too. I promptly removed my gaze, and my face was hot from embarrassment. My legs were itching to fly out of there. Would Bubbles notice if I left? Probably not. I knew I should probably leave them. Not only did I feel like the awkward third wheel, but I felt the ache slowly returning in the pit of my stomach. I honestly didn't need another resurface.

Their feelings were so pure, so innocent. I couldn't handle the beauty of it, it only reminded me of my pain.

Just as I brought a hand to clutch at my stomach, Bubbles' eyes snapped open. She looked at me, and she gave me a look that told me she instantly sensed my discomfort. She pulled her lips away from his, but he continued to trail his lips up her cheek as she talked.

"Sweetie, stop it. We're making Blossom uncomfortable."

He immediately pulled away, his blue eyes wide, and glanced at me again. "Oh, Blossom! Man, I'm sorry."

I cleared my throat and shook my head stiffly, the shock not completely worn off yet. I tried to wave one of my hands dismissively, but it looked strange. "No, no. Don't worry about it." I placed my finished cupcake down on the surface of the counter. I paused, thinking of an excuse to leave. Any excuse at all. "But, um, I need to get started on my homework anyway, so I should probably go."

Actually, I was already done with my homework. I usually finished it in Art everyday, since the subjects we talked about I usually already knew in the first place.

"Oh okay. I'll see you later, then!" Bubbles cheerful voice followed me as I walked to the entryway.

I nodded at her, trying to manage a smile but somehow feeling like there wasn't one on my face. I quickly paced out of the kitchen, and deciding that I was moving too slowly, I flew the rest of the way to my room.

The rest of the night, I struggled to maintain my sanity. Whenever I was close to having a relapse, it was like a nightmare. I would have to force the feeling back, and it was almost as painful as actually going through it. I struggled to sleep that night.

When I finally did, though, I dreamed another unsettling dream of him.

* * *

**-Buttercup's POV-**

The next day at lunch, the cafeteria was way too stuffy for my liking.

The stupid blue Rowdypuss was infesting our table again, and today, I didn't feel tolerant enough to take it. I was already in an especially pissy mood today, since the night before I'd had an awful sleep. At first it was fine, and then I had that damn nightmare again.

I had that same nightmare from a month ago. I had it almost every other day now. It was to the point that I hardly wanted to go to sleep anymore, because I knew that dream would be waiting for me when I fell into unconsciousness.

I tried taking sleeping pills to put me in a deeper sleep, but that only made the dream worse, more vivid. Last night, it hadn't been that vivid at all, it had been more blurry. But it didn't keep me from jerking awake when it was finished, my eyes wide. Usually after I woke up from it, I would sit up, trying to prevent myself from going back to sleep. I knew if I went to sleep again, it would start all over.

It was haunting me. That damn Rowdyruff was haunting me. He was worse than any ghost.

And I had to live with it. It's not like I could force myself to stop having the dream. How could I? I couldn't. And I couldn't escape.

It was hell.

I pushed the Cafeteria doors open, and humid, cool, September air hit me. As my eyes focused to my new surroundings, I inhaled the earthy scent of rain. One corner of my mouth turned up in actual satisfaction. It was the first genuine contentment I had felt in a few days. I've always loved rain and snow, more than sunny weather. I sighed and let the doors close by themselves behind me.

Since I hadn't bothered to wait in the lunch line to buy anything, I decided that a walk in the rain would be much more satisfactory.

As I stepped forward, cold drops of water struck my face. I almost sighed again, it was a relief to feel rain on my skin after the stuffiness of the classrooms. As I begin to walk through the parking lot, I yanked at the zipper of my tight, black zip-up hoodie and took it off. I pulled at the bottom of my dark green tank top, straightening out the pattern of black hearts that covered it. I balled up and tucked my hoodie underneath my arm.

I began walking down the sidewalk, pace steady, and cars zoomed past me. When a bright yellow BMW drove by, particularly loud rap music greeted me. I grit my teeth together. A white Pontiac drove past slower, and I could have sworn that I heard whistling. I glared down at the water-filled cracks in the wet asphalt.

I tried to restrain the irritation crawling up my throat. I didn't want to get rid of my good mood, not right now. I at least wanted to be in a good mood for my walk, because I knew that the rest of the day, my mood would be awful again.

I continued walking, and a few times, I had almost run into a few joggers and a couple walking under an umbrella. They didn't seem annoyed, though. They merely smiled when I said a quick, rushed apology as I walked past them.

After a few minutes of walking, silence surrounding me, I heard footsteps from somewhere behind me. They sounded like they were getting closer, so I shifted over to the right side of the sidewalk so they could pass. The footsteps remained steady, but I didn't see anyone pass me. I ignored it and kept walking, but after about two minutes, they still didn't pass. In fact, they were right behind me. It was beginning to bug me. I was trying to be polite, but this was really testing the little patience I already had.

Just as I was about to stop and scream at whoever it was, I was surprised to hear a familiar voice.

"Hey, spitfire."

Too familiar.

I whirled to face the person, and those eyes that tormented me in my sleep were right in front of me.

Different emotions hit me like a thousand bricks. My first initial thought was to beat the living shit out of him. Then, a sense of self-control overruled that one, remembering what happened the last time I lost control. There was pure, unadulterated fury. There was disbelief. There was shock. Repulsion. Confusion. Fury again. Self-control again.

I didn't know which emotion to show, so I just stood there, staring at him blankly. I didn't know what to do. I felt my face contort into a frown, but I wasn't controlling it.

He had this weird, casual look on his face. As if he were standing in front of an acquaintance, trying to make conversation. Butch cleared his throat and tried again. "I, um, didn't think I would see anyone I knew walking out here."

I continued to stare, even more at loss for words now. I knew that anyone else would have probably politely continued their part of the conversation and have been nice even though they hated the other person. I, however, was not anyone else, and I had to understand what the hell was going on before I said _anything_.

I felt my jaw hanging open, but I didn't bother to shut it. A fly could have flown in there, and I wouldn't have noticed. I tried to organize my thoughts, and finally, I found one to verbalize. It took me a few long seconds to spit it out. "... _Why_ are you talking to me?" My voice sounded raspy and weak when I spoke, and I scowled at the sound.

His face went blank. "Why not?" He replied, the same casual tone to his voice, dark greens staring at me evenly.

We looked at each other blankly for about a minute, and then I finally made up my mind. My hands ached to snap his bones, but I kept them clenched in fists. I spun on my heel and faced the opposite direction again. " _Don't_ talk to me." I paced away so quickly that I nearly walked straight into a woman with a stroller. I steadied her with one hand and mumbled an apology as I kept my pace.

Where did he even come from? I shook my head back and forth in short, jerky movements, trying to wake myself from the daze. What had just happened? Did he seriously just try to make conversation with me? What was his problem? Did he not enjoy being in one piece?

Good thing I had gotten rid of him. Another minute and I knew I would have snapped.

"So, what brings you here, walking in the rain?"

_What the hell?_

I spun around, and sure enough, I was facing Butch once more. He was right behind me again. I stared at him, my eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed. His face wasn't as casual as before, but his expression wasn't unfriendly. Why wasn't it unfriendly? Why wasn't he glaring, or smirking, or _something_? I didn't understand.

After he didn't initiate any more conversation for a few moments, I slowly turned back around, willing him to disappear if I ignored him hard enough. I continued to walk again, but I still heard him walking behind me, following me. What was wrong with him? Was he really so stupid?

He spoke up again, but I didn't bother stopping this time. "Okay, I get it. I'll shut up."

I kept my back to him, my veins swelling, my skin feeling like it was on fire. "Sounds good. And how about you get the fuck away from me, while you're at it?"

"I don't see why you're getting so prickly. I'm just going for a walk." His tone was defensive. Why would he think he could be defensive about anything?

"Yeah, okay. Then why don't you just go for a walk through the intersection while the light's green?" I heard his quiet snicker from behind me. Flatly, I added, "That wasn't a joke."

His snickering stopped abruptly, then cleared his throat. "Okay, ouch."

I rolled my eyes and stopped, whirling to face him again. I still felt the threatening, angry expression on my face. "Yeah. Ouch. But it wouldn't hurt nearly as bad as what _I'm_ about to do to you." I took my hoodie, which was balled up in my right hand, and threw it down on the sidewalk.

Butch looked briefly down at my hoodie, then back up at me, bewildered. "For what?"

"For not getting your ugly-ass face out of my sight." I said through my teeth. I took another step toward him menacingly.

Seemingly ignoring my threats, his eyebrows raised higher, and he brought a hand up to brush wet dark hair out of his stupid emerald eyes that possessed my dreams. He sighed. "Look, I know you hate me." He bent down towards the ground, his hand outstretched.

I laughed loudly and humorlessly. It was more spiteful than anything else. I could feel the anger bubbling in my chest, waiting for an exit. "The word 'hate' just doesn't cover it."

"I know." He paused, standing back up at full height and glaring at something non-existent behind me. "Can I...just, you know, walk with you back to school?"

It _was_ about time to head back to the school. But was he seriously asking me this question? I couldn't believe the audacity. It's like he thought we were old friends. "You can walk on the same sidewalk as me. If you keep a twenty-foot distance."

He pressed his lips together and nodded slowly. "I'll take that as a yes." Then, to my surprise, he stretched his hand out towards me, holding out my sopping wet hoodie.

Keeping the surprise from my expression, I refused to look him in the face as I yanked my hoodie away from his hand. Unfortunately, I had dropped it into a puddle. Throwing it down hadn't been a wise decision. I looked down at the sidewalk, and noticed that the puddles were quickly disappearing. I switched my glance up to the sky and I realized that the rain had ceased. I scowled at empty gray clouds. My patience and good mood were officially south for the winter. I folded my arms and began to walk back the way I had come as I said over my shoulder, " _No_ , you'll take that as a 'do what I say and maybe you can keep your kneecaps'."

The walk back to school was silent, all except for our footsteps and the splashing of puddles when we stepped in them. His footsteps where especially heavy. They were numerous feet behind me, but I felt each of his foot falls reverberate through me like a shock of an earthquake.

I was unsettled. Not only because it had stopped raining, but it was more of something else.

I was _walking_ with him. And I wasn't ripping him apart. Sure, I was furious that he was there. I was furious that he even thought of talking to me after what he did to me.

But I wasn't _acting_ on it. I wasn't mutilating him to the point of nonrecognition like I wanted to. I wasn't strangling the life out of him. I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and feel his pulse slowing to a stop beneath the skin. But I wasn't.

Why?

Maybe I was crazy. Maybe I _liked_ the feeling of rage eating me from the inside out. Maybe I was a masochist.

The whole rest of the day, I kept staring down at my still-damp hoodie, completely unable to stop thinking about how he had picked it back up for me.

And long after school ended, that night, I had the dream again. It was more vivid than it had ever been, and everything felt real. Even when I woke before morning, it still felt like those eyes were watching me.


	20. Indecisive

**Chapter Twenty**

**-Blossom's POV-**

For the first time in a while, I was actually having quite a pleasant dream.

I was at school, and for some reason, my confidence was through the roof. My inflated confidence was undeniable, actually. I felt buoyant and joyful. Everything seemed brighter than normal. Colors were sharper and clearer than usual, and also, weirdly, there seemed to be a smile on everyone's face.

As I walked past people in the hallway, everyone I walked paused to wave or say hello to me. Then, I got to my locker and I open the door. Inside, a stunningly pretty face looked back at me from the surface of my pink locker mirror. Moments later, as I continued to watch the face, I soon realized that it was a reflection of my _own_ face.

I blinked a few times, staring. Why did I seem so beautiful? I mean, I didn't think I was ugly normally or anything, maybe average, but something about my face suddenly was... _perfection_. Then, distracting me from my awe, a voice greeted me from behind.

"Blossom."

Something about the voice, and I wasn't sure what it was, was _incredibly_ sexy. Maybe it was the smoky texture of it, or how soft and soothing it was to me. And somehow, I already knew who it was before I turned around. 'Steven,' My thoughts roared. 'Oh my God, it's Steven.'

Abruptly, my heart started racing and my breathing became labored. I felt an unexplainable amount of anticipation, but I had no idea why. I turned around, and a silent gasp escaped my lips.

Sure enough, it was Steven that was coming to a stop in front of me. But something about him had changed somehow. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it, but...

There was one thought that kept echoing over and over again _-when_ had he gotten so _charming_? My eyes roamed over him. He wore a tight gray muscle shirt, and it made his warm gray eyes pierce. He had long eyelashes that should've been unnatural on a man, but it just made him look more irresistible. His soft looking lips curled upward in a coy smile, framing a set of perfect white teeth. His unblemished skin was much more tan than I had ever noticed before. It wasn't a fake orange like a spray tan, it was natural, like he went to the beach a lot. The short, spiked platinum hair on his head stood out against his skin tone beautifully.

At first, I just stood there, taking all of this in. How come I had never noticed this until now? He was very attractive. Why was I suddenly seeing him with new eyes?

Without warning, he wrapped his arms around me, bringing me to the proximity of much more than a friend. For some reason, I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. I wanted him to get even closer to me.

"Steve," the voice that said this was breathless, drowned in adoration. Had it come from me? I felt my lips move, but the tone of voice that I used confused me. He brought one hand up to gently smooth a few strands of hair out of my face. I shivered, but I wasn't cold. His touch was surprisingly loving.

"How are you this morning, my love?" The sound of his voice sent another shudder through me. When I heard the words, 'my love', my stomach flipped.

"I'm good, my darling." I answered automatically, a dazed and goofy-feeling grin on my face. It was then that I realized that I was indeed in the dream, but it controlled me more than I could control it.

Wait. Had I just called Steven _darling_?

He responded to me with a soft chuckle. I somehow found his laugh extremely seductive. How was that possible? Then, he pressed his lips delicately to my forehead. My knees nearly buckled at the touch of his lips against my skin. "You look tired."

I automatically laughed. "I _am_ tired."

He smoothed his thumb over my forehead again, then it trailed down the side of my face and came to rest under my chin with the rest of his fingers. He crooked my face upward. "Then maybe I should stop calling you so late."

I felt sudden, fervent disagreement. "No, don't stop. I love hearing your voice before I sleep."

"Alright, alright." He paused to chuckle again, then gazed down at me for a moment. "Baby, you are so beautiful."

I felt my face get hot, and when I opened my mouth to speak, he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine softly. Somehow, this action didn't surprise me. It felt normal. My heart skipped a beat and I was on air, and then I opened my eyes for a fraction of a second.

And of course, there he was.

No, not Steven. Steven was still kissing me sweetly. No. I was staring at the person standing far behind him across the hallway.

That boy with the flaming burgundy eyes.

He stared back at me, and his eyes were brimming with agony and longing. He didn't make a move to come near me, and he just shook his head, almost in a disbelieving, hurt kind of way. I didn't understand it, the way he was looking at me.

But with this single look from him, the entire dream seemed to take a one eighty degree turn.

Suddenly, the world around me seemed entirely gray, dull even. My mood seemed completely the opposite. I wasn't joyful. I wasn't on top of the world. Not even close. I felt miserable. I felt lifeless. I wasn't confident. I was more self-conscious than I had ever been. And kissing Steven didn't feel so natural anymore.

I broke the kiss, and immediately he looked down at me in confusion. I glanced up at him and froze. He wasn't enchanting and charming anymore. His piercing gray eyes now seemed stale, his brilliant smile now the timid, usual smile I was used to. His features seemed to blend together after I looked at him for longer than a few moments.

What had happened?

I fumbled for words, and I felt my forehead crumple in confusion. Suddenly none of this made sense. I backed up a step, but he mirrored me. His arms seemed to tighten around me by the littlest bit. I was really beginning to realize how close we were, and I begun to feel uncomfortable again.

"Babe, what's wrong?" His voice was full of concern, but the sound of it didn't hold the same effect that it had before. I no longer found it charming and alluring. It seemed sort of average now.

I quickly switched my gaze to Brick again, and he was still standing in the same place, despite all the change that the dream had gone through within those seconds. He still held the same expression on his face, but it felt different to look at him now. He wasn't just some other person that I was staring at. Now, when we gazed at each other, his eyes were brighter than ever, and his gaze felt like it was drawing me into its' endless depths. My knees buckled, my heart raced to the point of it being almost hazardous, and I felt like I had to gasp for breath.

My eyes snapped open, and I woke with the same feeling I felt in the dream.

Realizing I was awake and the dream wasn't real, I took a slow, deep breath and exhaled shakily. I brought my hands up to my face and rubbed my forehead, trying to calm myself. After a few moments of doing this, I decided to stumble to my bathroom to splash water in my face.

After I emerged from my bathroom, I glanced out my window. It was still dark outside. I turned to look at the screen of my alarm clock.

_1:17 A.M._

With a groan, I plopped down on my soft pink comforter again. It was too early to wake up, but I didn't want to fall asleep and end up having that dream again. It had been brutal. And to think it had seemed so pleasant at the beginning.

I paused to let the memories of it flow back to me, still crystal clear with the remaining shadows of sleep still clinging to my mind.

Even though it had been just a dream, it had felt so real. It was one of those dreams that felt like it could actually happen.

And, there was Steven. In the beginning, I was crazy for him. It was like I had seen him with completely different eyes. I saw him as completely stunning, blindingly gorgeous. He had become irresistible to me. And seemingly, we were together. In love. He treated me like royalty. His love was obvious in the way he looked at me, the way he treated me. And evidently, I loved him too. I was happy with everything, including myself. We were the picture perfect couple.

And then there was Brick.

Hearing his name echoing in my mind stung for a moment, but I tried to ignore it. When he showed up, everything in the dream became flipped. The entire world seemed depressing and empty. I was unhappy with everything. I lost all feelings toward Steven, including my attraction towards him. In fact, how I felt about him was similar to how I felt towards him now. And then, when I looked towards that red-headed boy again, I changed again. The amount of neediness and yearning that I felt when I looked at him was unnatural. At least, in my dream it didn't feel natural.

A thousand curses danced on my tongue, but I kept my mouth shut. I thought I had come so far, but even my subconscious wasn't over him.

But maybe this dream was a representation of what could happen in real life. I thought critically for a moment.

Maybe this was my biggest reason to move past Brick. The relationship that I had with Steven couldn't be that far off from what it was in the dream. I saw that kind of passion in his eyes when he looked at me. I knew he could love me that way.

Who wouldn't want that? Would I really want to be heartbroken for the rest of my life?

Suddenly, my phone's ringtone sounded. I jumped, and then froze with the realization that it was the ringtone I had set for Steven. I stared at it for a moment, and then took the phone into my hands and cautiously flipped it open. "Hey," I greeted him, though my voice had not sounded as friendly and cute as I had wanted to make it sound.

Steve's nervous laugh came from the other end of the receiver. An involuntary smile twisted my lips. "Hey, Blossom." He paused. "Um...you're probably wondering why I'm calling you at such a weird time."

My smile grew slightly wider. "Yeah, a little bit."

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, don't worry about it." I shook my head even though he couldn't see it. "I was already awake, I...couldn't sleep." That wasn't a complete lie.

"Oh! Oh, good." He paused again. "No! I mean, not good that you couldn't sleep, but, I-I meant-"

I was chuckling softly by now. "It's okay, I get what you meant."

He exhaled into the receiver. "Oh, okay."

There was a long pause, so I decided to initiate the conversation myself. "So, any particular reason of why you called me?"

"Right. I'm, um...I'm not sure. Maybe because I didn't call you earlier today, and I needed to hear your voice."

A strange pang of guilt and sympathy hit me, the same one that I always got when he happened to say something sweet. I forced back the thoughts of my dream. "You're sweet." Nervous laughter again, but he didn't say anything more. I spoke up again. "So, how was the rest of your day?"

He breathed into the receiver again, and the result was that weird static-y noise. "It was alright. I didn't really do anything, though. I watched that new Will Smith movie."

"How was it?"

"It was pretty good. I didn't like it as much as the last one, though."

As our conversation went on, as much as I tried, I could suppress that dream. And ironically enough, in that said dream, he had mentioned late night phone calls. I just couldn't stop thinking about it. What if, in the future, we would be talking on the phone this late all the time? And what if that led to being together?

A somewhat awkward hour later, we hung up, and I fell asleep immediately afterward.

When my alarm clock woke me again, I was relieved to find that I hadn't had the dream again. That morning, as I got ready, I noticed that I took more care to do it. When I did my hair, I took extra care to straighten each clump, even the back. I put more eyeliner on than usual. I even slicked pale and shimmery pink lip gloss on my lips. These actions were all subconscious, because I had not thought to do it beforehand. I found this slightly strange, but I decided to ignore it. Maybe it was a good sign. Besides, I promised myself that I would give him a legitimate chance, so this had to be part of it.

As Buttercup and I sat at the breakfast table, Bubbles scurried around to gather her things for the school day ahead. I guessed that Boomer would be taking her to school that morning. I watched her, and Buttercup stared down at her sausage and eggs on her plate. She tore tiny pieces from them with sharp, stabbing movements of her fork.

Then, the doorbell rang. Bubbles gasped and turned to me from across the room. "Do I look okay?" She brought her hands up to fluff her voluminous waves. Her hair reminded me of a Victoria's Secret model. Well, actually, if she weren't so short, the representatives at Victoria's Secret would be begging for her. She always looked flawless.

I smiled, keeping my slightly envious thoughts to myself. "You look great." I thought I saw Buttercup shake her head out of the corner of my eye. Bubbles didn't seem to notice.

"Thanks! I love you guys!" She then grabbed her bag and flew to the front door, opened it, then greeted Boomer. He took her hand, bringing it briefly to his lips, then Bubbles shut the door.

I turned to scowl at my raven-haired sister. "Buttercup," I scolded. "When are you going to get over this?"

Buttercup shoved the last chunk of egg into her mouth and stood. "Let's not, okay? I don't like to be mad at you for sticking up for her."

I began to try anyway. "Well, she _is_ my sister. And _yours_ too. And she still loves you, after everything you've-"

"Just drop it." She snapped. Her tone was cold, left no room for argument, and I didn't want to goad her temper any longer, so I shut my mouth.

The fly to school was a silent one. I had tested Buttercup's mood more than I thought, and she appeared to be in a sour mood again. I decided to leave her be until she cooled off.

When I reached my locker inside the building, I quickly snatched my Science book. Then, I paused there for a few moments. I didn't usually have to prepare myself for first hour, but after that horrid dream the night before, I would have to pull the numb out again. I closed my eyes, then as I was about to shut my locker, I heard the soft voice I was getting used to.

"Hey," Steven greeted me, and I turned to see him standing about a foot away.

I gave him my best grin. "Hey, Steve. How are you this morning?"

"Good." Shyly, he looked at the ground and added, "I'm much better now."

I tried my best to feel some sort of spark or the beginnings of a swoon, but nothing. Instead, there was that dreaded discomfort. I covered it by widening my smile. "Oh, stop." He seemed to buy my teasing tone, and he smiled back, his cheeks slightly reddening.

'I have to try harder,' I thought, and I shoved all my discomfort aside. I set my book down on the floor and stepped forward with my arms wide open, closing the distance between us. He took me into his arms with no hesitation. He seemed bewildered, but he didn't hesitate.

"Wow," His tone was nervous, which was not a surprise. "You don't...um...you don't usually hug me first."

I chuckled. "I know. I decided to start." I closed my eyes and tried to pry out the Steven that I saw in my dream. Maybe if I actually made myself believe that I liked Steven, then I would eventually start liking him. I just needed more of an effort. A second passed, and when I opened my eyes again, I got a strange sense of deja-vu.

Brick walked past us, and a tall, model-esque girl with warm olive skin and thick mahogany hair was on his arm today. She sneered at me. His eyes watched Steve and I for a moment, then he looked away, uninterested. I made myself pretend I didn't notice. I pulled out of our embrace.

Thankfully, Victoria showed up at that moment. "Hey Bloss, we should probably get going."

Quickly picking up my Science book again, I jumped at the distraction, drifting towards her. It wasn't very subtle, though. "Right, sorry!" I looked over my shoulder at Steven, but didn't look him in the face. "See you at lunch." I turned before I could look at his expression, because I knew I'd be guilty until the next time I saw him.

I took longer strides to match Victoria's fast pace, and we ended up sitting in our seats five minutes before the bell rang. We had our usual small talk until Mr. Nelson told the class to shut up. In a comedic way, of course. I think that was the only way he knew how.

As Mr. Nelson explained the different forms and types of mineral, which I had taught myself in the fifth grade, I let my eyes wander around the classroom. I stared at each plant closely, paying attention to small details, like if some leaves were torn or if it was wilting. I stared at the marks on the spaces of white wall in between the posters and plants. I studied the surface of the desk, tracing my finger along scuff marks and fingerprints.

Then, I suddenly felt the skin-crawling feeling that someone was watching me. I glanced at Mr. Nelson, but thankfully he was busily writing on the white board. I almost allowed myself to sigh, but then I realized that meant someone else was watching me. I turned my head to look across the room, but I didn't think of who sat there until I looked. Brick.

And I knew that he was the one staring, because as soon as I had looked in his direction, he looked away. I watched him for a few moments, confused. There was no way he was looking at me. Victoria and I _did_ sit right by a window, he was probably look past us at something outside. Right, of course that was it. Why would I think otherwise? That would be ridiculous, impossible.

I turned my attention elsewhere again and found myself looking at the ends of my hair. When I found a few split ends, I frowned slightly. 'That's what I get for using heat on my hair so much. Maybe I should get heat treatment conditioner.' As I begun thinking of hair stores I could go to to get some, I stopped in my tracks. My skin crawled again. 'It's the window, Blossom.' I reminded myself. 'Just the window.'

Yet, even three minutes later, I still felt someone watching me. 'Okay, then it's someone else.' I repeated that in my head a few more times, and then I mustered up the courage to look. But once again, Brick looked away.

There was no way. Why would he be staring at me? That didn't make any sense. He wouldn't. He wouldn't _ever_. Why _would_ he?

I turned away and grit my teeth when I felt him looking again. This was going to be a long class.

* * *

**-Buttercup's POV-**

I shoved the doors of the Cafeteria open, snarling. One of the doors hit a defenseless nerd in the face and knocked him down, but I stomped past him. I was in the worst mood possible. The fact that Blossom ruined my morning might have been part of it, but besides that, everything just seemed to go wrong that day. Plus, it didn't help that I was PMS-ing, and I felt like if someone said anything to me, I would rip their face off.

I began to walk towards my table, but then stopped in my tracks when I saw two blondes sitting there. I didn't have to see their faces to know who they were. I growled under my breath, heading for the doors leading outside.

I ripped those doors open too, and I huffed when a huge gust of wind caught me off guard and nearly pushed me back inside the building. I shielded my watering eyes with my arm and stepped outside. I hated wind.

I sat down at one of the empty picnic tables. Well, all of them were empty, actually. Who in their right mind would eat out there with that weather anyway? I folded my arms. Maybe I just needed some alone time to keep myself from exploding at the nearest person. I tried taking deep breaths to calm myself, but it wasn't working too well. A few minutes later, I wasn't much calmer and I just ended up making myself dizzy. I crossed my legs. Maybe I would get calmer by the minute. I just needed to sit there in silence.

"You're in a good mood today."

I jumped in surprise. I jumped so high that I fell past the bench and crashed onto the grass below. A stream of curses left my lips, and I picked myself off of the ground, seething at the one person that I had wanted to see the least.

Butch smiled slightly at me, a clear contrast from my deadly glare. His smile didn't look genuine, though, and it didn't reach his eyes. It was more of a subtle stretch of the mouth. I stared at him in disbelief as I had the day before.

He tried again. "You have grass in your hair." His face wasn't as enthusiastic, but he was still trying.

 _What_ was _wrong_ with him?! Maybe I had been way too calm the day before, or maybe I wasn't clear enough. I should have beat the crap out of him. How could he seriously think that he could _talk_ to me so casually after what he did to me? Did he think I would just forgive him, just like that?

I continued to gape at him. "...Are you mentally impaired?" I managed to spit this out, though I was almost too flabbergasted to do so.

He stared at me at first, then just shrugged his shoulders, his expression blank.

I started again. "What...could make you _possibly_ think I would want to talk to you so casually after what you did to me?"

His blank expression washed away, and astonishment seemed to take its place. His eyes widened, but he didn't say anything.

I railed on, getting a better grip of everything I'd wanted to say to him since he'd shown back up here. "I want to say that I hate you, but that wouldn't even begin to describe how I feel. I _despise_ you. It makes me sick to even see your ugly, disgusting face." My voice rose in volume with each word.

Without warning, I snatched his collar in one hand and yanked him off of his feet. He opened his mouth to say something, maybe to tell me to stop, but before he could say it, I threw him with all the force I could muster into the neighboring picnic table. He collided with it. The metal bent and twisted underneath his weight, and the metal screeched in protest.

Butch didn't even grunt on impact, he just stared at me, completely stunned. It felt good, but it didn't even begin to relieve all the anger pent up inside of me. But I knew I could lose control again, so I brought the rage back a little.

I walked over, bent down to stare him in the face, and the wind blew hair into my eyes. I shoved it away impatiently, but I kept my face as emotionless as I could. "Listen to me, you son of a bitch. You disgust me. Everything about you is repulsive. I hate the way you speak, I hate the how you fuck with girls hearts and then shatter them. I hate you so much." I could see that my words were getting to him, his wide eyes darkened with every sentence. But I wasn't anywhere near finished. "You're a sniveling, pathetic excuse of a man. I pity every girl that you have ever messed with. I can't believe I let myself be fooled by such a bastard, and I'll regret that mistake until the day I die. All that happened was that I got caught up in the moment. And you ruined me. You fucked me up. But now I finally know that I am _so_ much better this way."

Behind us, I heard a group of noisy kids leaving the outdoor cafeteria doors, then pause with noises of shock as they saw Butch in the middle of the destroyed picnic table. I whipped around to look behind me, shooting a warning glare at them, and they scattered away quickly. Slowly, I turned back to Butch, folding my arms, looking down at his pathetic form with my chin up. He couldn't even look at me. Just stared at my feet, silent.

I continued, my voice cool and emotionless. "In a way, I'm _glad_ that I finally realized what a true pathetic piece of shit you are. I'll never fall for your head games again. So, whatever this is, give the hell up. You don't deserve me. You lost every chance of ever sleeping with me or whatever your little plan was." I paused, clenching my jaw and raising an eyebrow. "So, go get yourself a hooker or something. Because you're through messing with me."

I began to walk away. But before I got out of hearing range, I looked over my shoulder at him one last time, intending for it to be the very last time I would ever look at him. I sneered as I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm, "Have a nice life."

Then I walked through the school doors, leaving him there in his stupidity.

* * *

**-Back to Blossom's POV-**

After lunch, I practically skipped to my locker. Despite the strange and awkward Science class that morning, I decided not to care. What did I care if he looked at me? I probably had something in my hair or something on my face. Or maybe it was because I was so obviously not paying attention to the lesson. Whatever the reason, I didn't care. After all, I was starting my new Honors Calculus class today.

I couldn't keep the small smile off of my face as I took my unused binder out of my locker. I wouldn't let that Brick ruin my day.

As I walked up the two sets of stairs to the Calculus room, I stared at the piece of paper that told me the room number.

 _Room 314_.

When I made it to the correct room, I had to calm myself a little so I wouldn't rip the door of its hinges in my excitement. Then, I turned the door handle slowly. There were about half the amount of people that I usually had in my classes. It was kind of refreshing. I didn't recognize anyone else.

All up until I saw a certain redhead sitting in the far corner of the class.

I froze. An internal scream ripped through my head. 'Are you _kidding_ me?' Of all the rotten luck. I woke up momentarily from my denial and despair when the teacher at the front of the class cleared his throat. I glanced at him, and he raised a graying eyebrow at me.

"Oh. Sorry, um...where should I sit?" I glanced down at my sheet of paper. It seemed his name was Mr. DeGrazio.

"Hmm," Mr. DeGrazio paused, eyes scanning the room. The bushy, gray mustache on his top lip moved up and down every time he moved his mouth. "Why don't you sit by Mr. Jojo over there? I don't like my students to sit in the back."

Damn it all to hell and back. But what could I say? I couldn't say no without giving an explanation. And any explanation I could give would make me sound utterly insane. "...Okay." I finally said.

As I grudgingly walked to the most awful seat I could possibly ever have in my entire life, Mr. DeGrazio spoke again. "What's your name, ma'am?"

"Blossom Utonium, sir." I set my books down on the desk next to his as gently as I could muster, muscles stiff. I tried to keep my eyes from him, but I couldn't help but notice how his muscles tensed beneath his deep red zip up hoodie.

As Mr. DeGrazio started his lecture, I fiddled uncomfortably with my pink feather pen. Where we sat, one could cut the tension in the air with a knife. The entire time, neither of us raised our hands or answered any of the questions Mr. DeGrazio asked.

I definitely wouldn't like that class as much as I thought I would.

When the bell rang, I felt like I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

* * *

**-Back to Buttercup's POV-**

This hellish day was finally over.

I packed my backpack fast, but it seemed like it wasn't fast enough. I leaned against my locker impatiently, waiting for my redheaded sister to make her appearance. I just had to get out of there.

Five minutes later, she still wasn't there. I tried everything to distract myself from the insane urge to book it out of there. I tapped my foot. I folded my arms, and then I unfolded them, and then folded them again. I slammed my forehead repeatedly on the locker's surface. Then, when she finally appeared, walking toward me from down the hall, I was finished.

"I'm going," I said vaguely when she reached her locker.

"What?" She fiddled with the combination knob.

"I'm leaving."

She looked at me, slightly alarmed. "Well, hold on! I just need to-"

"No," I interrupted, walking past her. "I need to leave _now_." I couldn't stay there any longer, I was at my breaking point. I didn't hear her response, so I just kept walking.

Once I shoved the door open, I walked forward a few steps, and stomped my right foot into the concrete to get momentum. I felt it crack beneath the sole of my shoe. The next second, I was propelled into the air, soaring. The wind dug into my skin, and I nearly closed my eyes. I would never get tired of the sensation that flying brought me. It was exhilarating, refreshing. I loved it to no extent.

Then, my moment of peace was interrupted with the loud crack of a gunshot.

I came to an abrupt stop, wobbling slightly. What the hell? My eyes frantically searched the part of the city below me, but I didn't see any signs of the shooter. Besides, I didn't feel the wind of a bullet near me. Still, though. What if it was someone robbing the bank again? What if someone got hurt? I needed to go check, at least.

I flew towards the city again, following the faint scent of burnt gunpowder.

* * *

**-Butch's POV-**

I turned the knob to the unlocked door, and the empty, dirty living room greeted me. Naturally, I was the first to get home. As I strolled in, I stared at the pile of empty pizza boxes building up in the entryway of the kitchen.

Lazy-ass Mojo, too stupid to get a maid. The place was hardly livable, but where else would we go?

I threw my books and shit on the carpet somewhere, I honestly didn't care if something happened to them. They were just books. I sank down on the black couch and rested my head in my hands.

Well. What now?

Was it worth it?

Hell no, it wasn't.

She hated me in every way possible. She hated me more than she had ever hated me before. She told me that she couldn't stand to look at me.

She was gone.

I rose my head from my hands, and in my line of vision, I saw something silver on the coffee table. I switched my gaze to it and realized that it was a shiny silver handgun. It was Brick's. Boomer and I didn't really know why he bought it. I was pretty sure it was so he that would feel all badass. Sometimes he just sat there and held it in his hand for no reason. He was such a freak.

I found myself staring at it for longer than I normally would. Hesitantly, I reached a hand toward it and picked it up. I traced the sharp edges and angles on it, transfixed. Suddenly, it wasn't a gun anymore.

It was morphine.

Then, before I realized, I was flying towards and out of the door, gun in hand. Subconsciously, I had already made up my mind. I landed on the roof of Mojo's observatory and stood there for a few moments. I stared out over the cityscape blankly, trying to feel something, anything.

I felt nothing.

Just to test it, I pointed the gun into the sky and shot. The cracking sound it made rang out, nice and clear. The silver bullet whizzed into the air so fast, even my advanced eyes could hardly see it.

I brought the point of the handgun to my temple. My arm shook, but I ignored it. I probably wouldn't feel anything. But what if I did? And it probably wouldn't kill me, either. But I couldn't do this anymore.

I flexed the muscles in the finger that wrapped around the trigger, then in one quick motion, I pulled it.


	21. Acceptance

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**-Buttercup's POV-**

As I followed the scent of gunpowder, the buildings that surrounded me seemed to get more and more familiar. Then, before I knew it, I was approaching Mojo Jojo's lair. Well, that wasn't surprising. Besides, I hadn't seen Mojo commit any crime at all lately. I thought he was wimping out on us or something. I drifted closer, and I squinted my eyes to try to see through the windows for any signs of him.

Then, I saw it.

A figure stood on the roof, with a handgun in their hand. The weapon was pointed to their head. And I knew for a fact that it wasn't Mojo.

I suddenly hurled myself through the air, soaring as fast as I could possibly muster to get to them in time. I didn't think first, I just acted. I couldn't seem to speed through the air fast enough, even though everything blurred around me.

Then, I was five feet away. Two feet. Inches away.

I heard the click of the trigger, and with blinding speed, I brought my hand back and slapped the gun out of their grasp before the bullet could exit the barrel all the way. The bullet seemed to escape anyway, but I lost track of it. The crack of the weapon was deafening.

In my attempt, I slammed into the stranger, hard, and we both fell to the ground with a loud thud. The gun slid to a stop a few feet away.

Relief washed over me, but then I as I glanced at this person, I froze with realization that they weren't a stranger at all.

This wasn't the first time one of us had prevented a suicide. It was a big city, they were attempted more than we liked to talk about. But never in my life had I ever thought I would be preventing Butch Jojo's suicide.

I quickly got up and scurried away from him, but I tripped again in my attempt. I fell back on my ass a few feet away from him, but I was too distracted to pick myself up. I just stared at him.

I blinked repeatedly in astonishment. There wasn't any word to describe all the emotions I felt at that moment.

For one, I was angry.

Here was my childhood enemy, sitting on the ground, looking confused and dazed. He touched his cheek, then stared at the blood on his hand when he brought it back in front of his face. The bullet had must have grazed his cheek. Had he been human, that same bullet might have been lodged in his brain right at that moment if it weren't for me.

But that wasn't the point. What if he were human? He had just tried to _kill himself_. He would be dead at that moment. This wasn't the Butch that I fought in battles and beat the crap out of growing up. He was never weak, he never just gave up. _Never_. This person sitting in front of me was completely different. I didn't understand at all.

This person was unsteady, weakened. I didn't know who he was.

I shook my head in bafflement and pity.

"...Are you...some sort of coward?"

He looked up at me, and I nearly jumped back. His eyes didn't hold the strong arrogance and cockiness I was used to. They were blank. They held so much misery, they were empty. I stared into them, trying to see something else, but I couldn't. The pain reflected straight from his eyes into my soul. I tore my eyes away, the feeling was overwhelmingly depressing. Instead, I stared at the gun on the ground.

"Who are you?" My voice was just a whisper, but I knew he heard me. I felt him looking at me. I waited for an answer, but he showed no signs of replying. My animosity swelled up, and I got up on my feet, walked towards the gun and then hurled it far into the sky. It soared away until it was a dark speck in the abyss of dark clouds above. "Who the _hell_ are you?!" I shouted this, but he didn't shrink back or flinch. He didn't move.

I looked down at him in shame. For a minute or two, I didn't know what else to say. There was no words I could verbalize to explain how I felt. I was so disappointed in him. I mean, I know he meant nothing to me, but come on. I never expected such from him. Abruptly, thunder rumbled above us and light, tiny raindrops started to fall on our heads. Water dotted his forest green hoodie. I spoke up again.

"You _do_ know that it wouldn't have killed you anyway, right?"

Butch was the one to look away first. He swallowed thickly, and it looked like he was preparing to speak. I waited.

"I had to try." The voice that replied was unfamiliar too. It was too soft and brittle to have come from the Butch I knew.

His reply made me even more angry. "Try? For what, Butch? Just tell me why the _hell_ you would try to kill yourself?"

There was another long pause, and he looked up at me again. Now, not only did his eyes hold misery, they were tortured. He seemed to search for words for a few long moments.

"...I...have nothing left."

I glowered down at him, uncomprehending. I didn't understand what he meant at all.

"What the hell are you talking about, you 'have nothing left'? You have plenty, you're a villain. You can steal anything you want!"

"That's not what I'm talking about." His reply was quicker this time, and irritation passed through his blank face for a moment.

"Then, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about." His tone was louder now.

"No, I _don't!_ Will you just tell me?"

"Oh my God, I'm talking about _you!_ " The blank, monotone voice was gone now.

My glare deepened, and I paused for a moment. "What do I have to do with any of this? You're the one who just tried to blow your damn brains out!"

"You have _everything_ to do with this!"

"Are you trying to blame me?"

Now, he was frustrated. But I noticed that his eyes still held the same amount of torment. "No, I'm not."

"Well, then, what the hell are you saying?!"

He stopped for a moment, and the frustration washed away. It began to rain harder now, the raindrops falling like buckets were tipped over in the clouds above. His eyes flickered to the ground, and he ran a hand through his dark, heavy fringe. He gripped the hair between his fingers and pulled it. His breathing slowed by the littlest bit, and he clenched his jaw.

"I...couldn't hurt you anymore."

I halted. I stopped breathing, I stopped blinking, I stopped feeling.

"What," The word hadn't sounded like a command, like it normally would coming from me. It was more of a statement of disbelief, of not understanding. He stood up and stepped forward. I took a step back. I had forgotten how tall he was compared to me. At this distance, he towered over me. The scratch on his cheek from the bullet had healed to just a pink mark now.

"I can't hurt you, Buttercup!" He shouted, and it surprised me. His deep green eyes weren't empty anymore, and they showed me countless emotions. I nearly flinched when he said my name. "I can't fucking hurt you anymore! It's ripping me apart, from the inside out!"

I shook my head slowly.

He continued. "Nothing in my whole goddamn _life_ have I felt something so painful! I couldn't take it!"

I fought back the guilt that threatened to tear through me with a violent force. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. One whispered word escaped my lips. "No."

"And when you said I completely lost you, I just...I died inside. I didn't want to believe that I lost you forever."

"Stop it," I said this slightly louder this time, but he kept going.

"But I did this. It's my fault. I just kept hurting you and hurting you and pushing you away more and more. But I never _meant_ to hurt you in the first place. When I left-"

"Shut up! That's bullshit!" I bellowed this -inches from his face- trying to throw him off somehow, so I could stop his flow of untrue words. I had to make him stop.

"I was in complete agony. It was like someone just stole a vital part of me, like my lungs or heart or something. Like they just completely tore it out of me while I watched. And I bled for you."

"Don't fucking lie to me, Butch! Stop lying to me!" I shoved him, but to my great dismay, it was feeble. He hardly moved. I didn't realize that I was crying until my voice cracked when I said his name. I would have swiped at the tears in humiliation, but I was too distracted. I couldn't believe he was lying to me _again_. I couldn't believe he possibly thought that I would believe him again. I couldn't believe him. I wouldn't.

He continued to ignore my pleas. "And when I came back...Buttercup, do you actually believe that those other girls mean anything to me? They threw themselves at me, and...Brick's plan...I never once felt the same way about any of them like I feel about you."

"Shut up! Shut the _fuck_ up!" I swung a clenched fist at his face, but he caught it in his hand a split second before it hit him. He held it and moved our hands to the side, out of the way. I tore my gaze from his eyes and stared at our hands, his larger, masculine fist covering mine. I trembled with anger.

"I almost cracked so many times. I needed you like none other. I was suffering without you. And what you said to me today...God, it killed me. Because it was true. I _don't_ deserve you. I never have. I'm...I'm a monster. I have been my whole life. I can't believe I actually thought you would give me a chance."

I covered one of my ears with my free hand in a juvenile manner. I shook uncontrollably and my warm tears mixed with the cold rain pouring from the sky. I had to protect myself, I couldn't let him break me again. If he ever broke me again, I couldn't handle it. I would never survive.

But I was losing my will.

"But I ruined it now. I ruined you. But these past few days, I cracked. I had to be around you, to talk to you. I was slowly dieing inside. I couldn't stay away from you for so long. I don't think I can stay away from you again, I'm not strong enough. I'm incredibly selfish, but I can't help it. Not anymore."

"Stop it!" The sobs that tore through my throat mangled my words, and it came out as a desperate beg. It was a beg for him to spare me, to spare my very soul. He was tearing me apart again, and the excruciating pain was resurfacing. There was no way I could stop it now, and my legs nearly gave out from the impact. I dropped my hand from my ear. I couldn't take it. I was done.

"Deal with it, Buttercup. I fucking love you. There's nothing you will ever be able do about it."

I nearly dropped to the ground. My dormant heart shuttered. "What?"

"I love you."

Hearing it again made me numb all over, and I couldn't feel the unbearable pain slashing through me anymore. My sobs didn't cease, and if anything, they seemed to get louder. I tried to blink away the mix of tears and black eye makeup that blurred my vision, but more kept coming.

"Say it again," I told him between gasps of air. My voice was nearly a whisper. The numb soothed me, and even though the freezing rain and wind bit at my skin, it warmed me from the inside out. I had a horrifying urge to hear those words again.

"I love you." He brought his free hand up to my face, and the contact of our skin sent electric shocks through me. His voice was gentle, and his smooth emerald eyes never left mine, even though I could hardly see them. "More than anything." He let go of my fist and cupped the free side of my face.

Then, his mouth was on mine. And, I lost all control.

I wrapped my arms around his torso, as high as I could, and clutched myself to him tightly. My fingers clawed at the material of his sweatshirt. It felt like I couldn't get close enough, even when there was no space left between us. His kiss was deep with desire and yearning.

What had I been thinking?

I had lied to myself that whole time, thinking that it was everyone else that had the problem. I blamed him, I blamed Bubbles, I blamed everyone around me. But it was me who had the problem. I had never been so spiteful and cold towards everyone around me in my entire life. I'd never been so stubborn about anything before. I lied to myself over and over again, and I covered everything with anger, because I didn't want to accept the truth. I fought it and choked the truth away, I denied it and denied it. But it came back to haunt me, even in my dreams.

I was in love with Butch.

And I didn't want to admit that he was my weakness. I didn't want to be weak. I hated being so vulnerable.

But without him, I was a train wreck. I _needed_ him.

And even though his wet hair clung to my face and we were both drenched and freezing cold, I was happy beyond words. The Apocalypse could have happened, and it wouldn't have moved me from that spot.

I could have stayed there forever.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

I was a nervous wreck _again_.

I paced the living room while Professor began to prepare dinner. Earlier, I had been mumbling all sorts of complaints and remarks saturated in worry. By now, I was out of complaints, and I was practically pulling my hair out.

First, Bubbles decided to go to the mall with Boomer without letting me know, causing me to have some sort of mental breakdown. Now, Buttercup wasn't home, and school had been out for two hours already. She left before me, so she should have been home before me, right?

Wrong.

And she wasn't answering her phone _at all!_ Were these people trying to worry me to death?

I had a strange sense of deja-vu, however. This had been exactly what happened when Bubbles was gone for a few hours last month. She ended up coming back with Boomer.

I stopped in my tracks for a moment. What if that were to happen again?

I burst out in giggles, and Professor seemed to hear me. He glanced at me from the kitchen doorway, one eyebrow raised. I began to pace again. That thought was ridiculous. Absolutely impossible. It was laughable.

Then, I remembered how distraught I was, and my laughs faded away. I took my cell phone out for the seventh time. I dialed her speed dial number, number three, and pressed the speaker button. It rang once. Twice. Three times. Then, the answering machine.

I gaped at my phone.

Did she seriously just send me to her voicemail? She was avoiding me on purpose! I mean, I knew she had been in a bad mood that day, and I irritated her that morning, but really! It wasn't necessary to shut me out or anything.

I dialed Bubbles' speed dial number, number two, and put it on speaker again. It rang twice before she answered.

"Bloss, I _told_ you, I'm at the mall with-"

"I know, I know!" I cut her off impatiently. "It's something different this time."

"Oh!" She paused, and it sounded like she was eating something. Normally I would have asked her what she was eating out of curiosity, but this was urgent. "Well, what is it?"

"I can't get a hold of Buttercup. I have no idea where she is."

She paused. I knew she was uncomfortable with me bringing up the subject of the sister that hated her so much, but I knew she would care anyway. "Really? You've tried calling her and everything?"

"Yes! Called, texted, everything. She's deliberately ignoring me. She sent me to her _voicemail!_ " I could practically hear Bubbles roll her eyes at the dramatic tone of my voice. But I was perfectly serious.

"Blossom, she's probably still in a bad mood or something." She paused to do what sounded like chewing. "Or maybe she's not coming home because she thinks I'm there with Boomer."

I stopped pacing again. That was a very good point. I started walking again. "That's true, I guess."

"Yeah, don't-" It sounded like she turned her mouth away from the receiver, most likely to talk to Boomer. "What? Yeah, she's worried about Buttercup. I don't know, maybe. Could you? Aw, sweetie."

"Bubbles," I mumbled. "Come back to me, please."

She spoke to me again. "Sorry," She chuckled. "Um, Boomer said he could take me home early, if you're really that worried."

My eyebrows raised. "Really?" I tried to be selfless for a moment, but I needed someone to help calm me down. Professor tried, but he gave up after the first ten minutes. "You don't have to."

"No, it's alright. I'll be there in like, fifteen, okay?"

"Okay." I paused, but I spoke up before she could hang up. "And, Bubbles!"

"Yeah?"

"Boomer probably shouldn't come over today."

"Right, right." Her tone was nonchalant, but I knew she still wanted to bring him.

We hung up, and I sighed. She would probably take a bit longer than fifteen minutes, but I expected it anyway.

"Is Bubbles coming home soon?" Professor called from the kitchen. "I'm almost done with dinner."

"Yeah," I called, nodding, even though he couldn't see it. "I just talked to her on the phone, she said she'll be here in about fifteen minutes."

A few moments of silence passed, and I heard the clinking of eating utensils. "Have you heard anything from Buttercup yet?"

"Nothing yet."

He sighed. "You know, I really hope this doesn't have something to do with Bubbles. I know that she feels betrayed and everything, but she's really taking this much too far. I mean, when was the last time she talked to Bubbles?"

I didn't even have to think before I replied. "Last month."

Professor tsked. "This is ridiculous. Honestly, how long is this going to last?"

I shook my head. "I wish I knew. But who knows, with Buttercup, it could go on for a while."

"Unfortunately." Professor agreed, and when I opened my mouth to say something, the front door opened with a loud slam.

I spun to look at the door, and I was surprised and relieved to see Buttercup entering the house and throwing her backpack onto the ground. Her dark green hoodie and gray skinny jeans were completely soaked, and her wet hair had begun to curl up at the ends, something she tried to prevent every morning with a flat iron. Her heavy black eye makeup ran in thick streaks down her face. I glanced at the hoodie she had on. It was a bit baggy on her. Had she worn that this morning, or earlier that afternoon, for that matter?

Whatever. I probably just hadn't noticed it.

"Buttercup!" My scolding tone didn't match my relief. I heard Professor drop whatever he was doing in the kitchen and run to the kitchen doorway. He folded his arms.

"Young lady," He frowned, but I could tell he was immensely alleviated. "Where have you been?"

I started before Professor was done. "Do you know how many times I called you?"

Professor started in the middle of my sentence. "Look at you! You're drenched!"

"Where were you, and why didn't you have an umbrella?" I finished our unanimous rant, and I folded my arms.

Buttercup's gaze switched from me to Professor to me again. The corner of her mouth turned up in mild amusement, which I did not like very much at all. She decided to ignore our questions.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." She waved one of her hands dismissively. I watched her more closely. Something looked vaguely different about her. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was different, I just knew. Suddenly, all amusement was wiped from her face. "Where's Bubbles?"

This sudden question confused me. Why did _she_ care about where Bubbles was? I blinked a few times before I answered. "Um. She's on her way home right now...why do you ask?"

She pushed past me to the stairs, but not aggressively. "I really need to change. These wet clothes are driving me insane."

As soon as she was out of vision, I slowly turned to Professor. His expression mirrored mine. I shook my head in a quick, back and forth motion. "Did...did you...?" My voice trailed off when he nodded. I pursed my lips. "I wonder if-"

At that moment, Bubbles came through the front door. I was surprised to see her so soon, I didn't think she would be home so early. Before she shut the door, I saw Boomer's shiny blue Audi drive away behind her. She smiled at us, but she seemed slightly taken aback that we were standing right by the door. She hugged Professor first. Actually, she had been hugging everyone alot lately. Maybe that just proved that much more that she was herself again.

"Hey, Bubbles." I greeted, and held my arms out for a hug. She gave me a warm welcoming hug, like she hadn't seen me in years. I continued and began walking towards the stairs to call my dark haired sister. "Actually, I'm glad you're home, because Buttercup just got home."

Her smile stiffened somewhat, but I could tell she tried to hide it. "Oh, she did?"

"Yeah, she did, and she-"

A neon green streak appeared from the top of the stairs, zoomed past me and flew past Professor towards Bubbles. I toppled over onto the ground in surprise, and Professor did as well. It disoriented me for a few seconds, but then I realized she had just been flying- at top speed- towards Bubbles.

At first, my stomach bubbled in panic, but then I saw them.

Buttercup had her arms wrapped around Bubbles' neck, not violently, but in an embrace. She had her face buried into Bubbles' delicate shoulder, and even though she was still in drenched clothes, she didn't seem to care. Bubbles was frozen in bewilderment, her bright blue eyes wide.

Then, Buttercup spoke. Even though her voice was slightly muffled, we all heard it.

"I'm sorry."


	22. Revelations and Aspirations

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**-Blossom's POV-**

Once again, the room was filled with silence.

We had been caught off guard plenty of times lately, and I was almost surprised that the shock factor hadn't worn off at that point. But it definitely hadn't.

My fiery-tempered, green-eyed sister stood by the door, embracing my blonde-haired sister. This, by itself, wasn't outrageous at all. But, if you consider the fact that they hadn't spoken to each other in a month, this happening with no warning was quite shocking.

Bubbles stood statue still, her light azure eyes wide with bewilderment. Buttercup didn't loosen her hold, even with the fog of uneasiness that filled the room. We were all tense, especially Professor and I, with the anticipation of something taking a turn for the worse.

Finally, when Bubbles broke the silence, her soft voice seemed almost loud.

"…What?"

Her tone was full of disbelief.

Buttercup pulled back from her embrace a bit, looking at Bubbles head-on. "I said that I'm sorry." She paused a moment to swallow had, as if it were hard to say. This would make sense, by the way. She was Buttercup, after all. "I'm _so_ sorry." Her voice was only slightly strained when she said this, and she was only the slightest bit hesitant. Her words felt genuine.

I stared at the soaking wet Buttercup, even though her back was to me.

Something was different. I wasn't sure what, but something was different about her. Her body language was different. The tone of her voice was slightly different, too. What changed? I had just seen her at school before she had stormed out of the school building. She hadn't been like this at all. What happened between then and now, which was a matter of hours? What made her suddenly apologize like this? They way things were going, I thought she would never come clean.

And yet, there she was.

She went on, her expression plain and open in her sincerity. "I was just…I was awful. And you didn't deserve it." I had not seen Buttercup look that way in ages. It shocked me.

The bafflement on Bubbles' face started to fade away, and a gentle smile replaced it. "No, Buttercup. Please. You don't have to apologize."

"No, I do." Buttercup shook her head, unyielding to Bubbles' generosity. "Really. I was was wrong. I was jealous, and I took it out on you."

I stared in astonishment as she paused, and when I glanced at Professor, he had the exact expression on his face.

Amazing. Incredible…

_Impossible._

This couldn't be Buttercup. There was no way. And yet...it was.

Buttercup added, "I was wrong about everything." She put emphasis on the word 'everything', and we all seemed to notice.

Bubbles spoke up first, her forehead wrinkled in slight confusion. "What do you mean?"

Then, for the first time in five minutes, Buttercup let go of Bubbles. She turned and floated to the couch. When she sat down, she looked at each of us for a moment. Her face wasn't the blank, emotionless void that I had begun to get used to. It didn't seem as rigid and as icy as before. In fact, I couldn't see coldness at all. And if I didn't know better, I would think that I could see color gathering in her cheeks.

She stayed silent for about a minute, and just to check if she heard the question, Bubbles spoke again. "…Buttercup?"

She seemed to start at the sound of her name, and her eyes snapped to Bubbles. She took a moment to clear her throat, and she appeared to be uneasy. "I'm gonna feel like a total hypocritical bitch for telling you this." Professor deliberately cleared his throat, and she threw a quick apologetic glance his way.

Bubbles shook her head. "Come on, Buttercup. We're past this, okay? Just tell us."

Buttercup looked toward me, and I nodded in agreement. She grimaced. "I…I was talking about the Rowdyruff Boys."

This caught my attention. I exchanged a perplexed glance with Bubbles. She couldn't be saying that...she didn't mean...no. There was no way.

Was there?

I plowed ahead before anyone else could say anything. "Buttercup, just come out with it. Do you have important information? Are they working on a--"

She cut me off suddenly, her voice loud and anxious. "Butch and I are together now."

Shocked silence resonated. I don't remember how long the silence lasted, but I didn't notice. I, myself, was too shell-shocked to say anything.

I think everyone was.

#

As soon as I was done with dinner, I flew directly to my room. I didn't even pause to help with dishes like I usually do.

And the second I was in my room, I quickly shut the door behind me.

I stood in front of the hot pink painted door, staring at the winding swirls imprinted in the wood. That was all I could do for the moment, I couldn't feel my muscles. I was numb.

A few long moments after that, I spun myself around and leaned my back against the wooden surface. I slowly sunk down into a sitting position, and as soon as I made contact with the ground, I didn't move again. I found a spot on the ceiling to stare at in silence.

So, that was it, huh? Was this always how it was going to be?

Bubbles was the first to get her heart mended by the one she loved the most. That was great. The happy, sunshine-y Bubbles we all knew and loved was back. She was herself again. I was happy for her. In fact, I was more than happy for her. If any of us deserved to be happy again, it was her. And, she and Boomer were absolutely made for each other. It was supposed to be this way for her in the first place.

But...now Buttercup?

She ended up telling Bubbles and I everything that happened. Well, not in broad detail of course. Something told me that she'd be uncomfortable with that, especially with Professor just in the next room. He had mostly likely been listening in.

But even after hearing the entire story with my own ears, I could hardly believe it.

Buttercup…and Butch.

Together.

She was, without a doubt, the most hard-headed person I'd ever met. I thought I had known that before, but I guess I had no idea how stubborn she really was. She had refused to speak to her own sister for an entire month. And, as I had found out a little earlier, she had refused to go to anyone to talk about her problems. Even me.

I didn't understand. Didn't she trust me, or trust my opinion, at least? I had no idea she had been hurting so badly. She should have come to me.

But maybe she needed Butch more than any of us had known. Maybe she really did need him more than she ever let on. Maybe she loved him. That afternoon, when she'd first come home, her face wasn't a mask of anger and bitterness anymore. The way it had been for months now.

So, maybe that was it.

Maybe it wasn't complicated at all. Maybe they loved each other, and there was nothing to it. Just like Boomer and Bubbles.

So, I needed to be happy for her. If this made her happy, then I needed to be happy too. Bubbles was excited for her. After we all broke out of our state of speechlessness, she hugged Buttercup tightly. Small, joyful tears even left the corners of her eyes. And while Buttercup told us everything, she was the one to squeal and gasp at the best parts. She was completely supportive. For some reason, though, I just couldn't move past the bafflement the entire time. I needed to be supportive…so why couldn't I?

I began to feel lightheaded from staring at the same spot for so long. I blinked a few times in a row and took a deep breath.

What about me, then?

My breathing became shallower. This wasn't like in elementary school when every kid got the coolest, latest toy except for me. It wasn't like in Middle School when many girls started wearing makeup and I didn't. This was decidedly worse. First Boomer won Bubbles back, and then Butch with Buttercup. It wasn't difficult to see the pattern.

But... _what about me?_

Why was I the only one left out of this?

At first, I was completely and utterly sure that none of them wanted us anymore. That luring us in with their words and hearts instead of using their powers had truly been the insidious plan they'd had all along. But now I wasn't sure. I was confused now. It was apparent that the complete opposite of what I'd thought was true, that they really had meant what they'd said. At least, for Boomer and Butch anyway.

But, what about Brick? Did he not want me?

I felt my forehead crumple sourly, and I attempted to smooth the wrinkles out with the tips of my fingers.

What did this matter to me, anyway? It really shouldn't have. Sure, my sisters were in love, and they were happy. And they just _happened_ to be in love with Rowdyruff Boys. So what? That didn't automatically make me obligated to date Brick or anything. Especially with the way he was now. Why would I want to be with him?

Besides, even if he didn't want me, it wasn't like I cared. I was in the process of moving on, and with time, I would be completely healed. The pain would be thoroughly gone eventually. I may have once thought that I might have really liked him, or might have even loved him, but I knew that it was impossible. We just weren't compatible.

I stood slowly, and the joints in my legs popped from staying in one position for too long.

Anyway, he was the one that had left, so there was no way he even had real feelings for me in the first place.

I yanked out the hair tie that held the hair up from my neck, and I felt a few thin strands come with it. I ignored the brief sting. The mass fell to my shoulders and back.

My thoughts shifted to Steven again. He wanted to be with me, and with some effort, I could learn to want him too.

I just needed to forget about Brick first.

* * *

**-Bubbles' POV-**

I pushed the door open to my bathroom and glanced at myself in the mirror. I grimaced, seeing that my eyeliner had somehow found its way to the circles under my eyes. Unfortunately, that always seemed to happen if I cried sometime during the day.

I hadn't cried in a long time until today, but it was okay. The tears that I cried were happy tears.

I cried because my sister still cared about me.

Well, some part of me still knew that all along, but it meant so much to hear it. It was like a weight had been lifted off of all of our shoulders, now that we made up again. It was such a relief. But the most shocking news was of her and Butch.

I couldn't believe they were together. She had detested even being in the same building with Boomer and me. I never thought she would accept it, let alone actually get together with Butch.

But I was more than ecstatic for her. She looked more alive than she had in months.

I opened the medicine cabinet hanging on the wall and I took out my makeup remover pads. I squeezed my eyelids shut as I rubbed a pad against my skin, freeing it from the makeup covering it. I sighed at the refreshing tingling sensation.

I rinsed my face with water and ran a soft towel over my skin. I faced the mirror again, facing my makeup-less reflection, and I began taking the clips out of my hair.

When I was in the process of un-clipping one of them, I heard the ringtone go off on my phone. I recognized it was Boomer's ringtone, because it was his favorite song. I raced out of the bathroom and all the way across my room to my bed. On the way, I felt the last clip fall out on its own.

I flipped my phone open, my heart pounding. I spoke into it. "Hey!"

His smooth, soothing voice greeted me from the other end. "Hey, baby girl. What are you up to?"

"Oh, I was getting ready for bed." I stood again and glanced out my dark, open window. The city lights of Townsville twinkled at me from the other side, much further away than they looked. I turned away, and the gentle, cool breeze tickled my back.

"Already?"

I chuckled at his astonished reaction. "It's eleven at night! We have school tomorrow, of course I'm going to bed."

He laughed away from the receiver. He paused for a second. "Can I come over?"

My eyebrows shot up. "Right now?" I shook my head vigorously, even though he couldn't see it. "Boomer, Professor would throttle me! And you, too!"

"Naw, I could take him."

I knew that he really wouldn't try to take on Professor, but I couldn't laugh at his small joke. "Seriously, Boomer. You can't-"

"Too late." This time, his voice didn't come from the receiver.

It came from right behind me.

Startled, I gasped sharply and dropped my phone. It fell to the light blue carpet with a dull thud. I spun around on my heels so swiftly, I almost toppled over.

Boomer caught me around my waist before my legs gave out, and I stared at him, a bit mystified. His gorgeous blonde hair gleamed slightly in the muted moonlight. Then when I remembered he was here, _in my bedroom at eleven o' clock at night_ , I snapped out of it.

"When did you…how did you…" I struggled for words, my befuddled mind kick-starting again. I switched my gaze from him, to the open window, then to him again. "…What are you doing here?"

He smiled at my flustered attempts at an intelligible question. "I'm here to see you. What else?"

I tried to hold on to my reason for being upset with him, but it was getting increasingly hard. " _Boomer._ Do you know how much trouble I could get in…how much _we_ could get in?"

"I know." He brought a hand up to my face, and my will immediately faltered.

Then, something occurred to me. _My face._

I gasped deeply and yelped, "Crap!" I brought both hands up to my face, concealing it. I knocked his hand off in the process.

Boomer immediately let go of my waist, and I felt him move closer to me. "What, what is it?" His voice rose slightly with panic. He took a hold of my wrist and tried to pry the hand from my face.

"No!" I squealed again, and I turned my back to him. Crap, crap, crap. I had completely forgotten that I wasn't wearing makeup. I hated anyone seeing me with no makeup on, it was one of my biggest insecurities. I hardly ever let my own family see me with no makeup. There was no way I could let the most stunning boy _ever_ see me like that. Even though he had seen it for a few seconds already, I felt that I was doing him a favor by covering it now.

"Baby, what's wrong?" His voice was higher still with panic, and he also sounded a bit defensive.

"Don't look at me!"

"Why?"

I hoped he didn't think I was mad at him. "…I don't have any makeup on." Although, it sounded stupid when I said it out loud.

He made an exasperated noise somewhere between a sigh and groan. I would feel the whoosh from his hands being thrown into the air. "Are you serious? _Bubbles._ " He gently took me by the shoulders and turned me towards him again. His fingers wrapped around my wrists easily, and I didn't resist when he pried my hands away. "Sweetie. Don't do that."

I couldn't respond, his eyes melting into mine took my breath away.

He then let go of my hands, placing both hands on the sides of my face. "You're more than beautiful. You're flawless." He paused, and I felt heat rush to my face as pressed his lips softly to the tip of my nose, and then my cheek. "Don't ever doubt it."

And then my breathing heaved when he kissed my lips.

#

We sat on my bed, our backs leaned against the wall. My head rested on his shoulder, and his head rested on top of mine.

We had just finished talking about Buttercup and Butch, and it turned out that Butch hadn't been as informative or detailed either. I filled him in on the stuff that he never found out from Butch, and he did the same for me.

Then, for a few minutes, we just sat there in a pleasant, warm silence.

I glanced at the digital clock on my wall.

_1:42 a.m._

It was so late. Or, rather early. But I didn't want him to leave. I pretended not to notice the time, and I decided to bring up a new subject to distract him.

Besides, this had been nagging at me for a while.

"Baby," I whispered.

"Hm?" His response was even quieter.

I bit my lip. "I…have a question."

He turned his face into my hair and kissed it briefly. "Ask away."

I hesitated, looking up to match his eyes. He gave me a small smile in return. I inhaled deeply through my nose. "…Why…were you gone for so long?"

He stiffened and dropped his gaze. I immediately regretted asking the question.

"Bubbles…" His voice trailed off, and he shook his head slowly.

Somehow, though, I didn't want to give up. He had never told me why after we started dating, and it had been eating me up inside. I desperately needed to know. "Oh, Boomer! Please!" I lifted my head from his shoulder and moved in front of him, sitting directly in his lap.

He seemed almost agonized that I was asking him that question so randomly, so directly. He raised a hand to his face to drag it down his face slowly. "Baby, you know how hard that is for me to talk about."

I knew he hated talking about that time when he left me, so that's why we never had. I bit my lip harder, and I felt my eyebrows draw upwards. "I'm sorry. I know. It's hard for me, too. But I…I just…" I stuttered, and I could feel frustrated tears welling in my eyes. I felt so selfish for asking him to talk about that time that was so painful for the both of us.

I fumbled with a loose string on my soft cotton sleep shorts. I lowered my gaze to it, defeated, and I twirled the string around my finger over and over. I felt him watching me, and the tears escaped my eyes. I felt like such a brat. I didn't want him to think that I was crying because I wasn't getting my way. The sudden wave of emotion had just overcome me, and I couldn't help it.

He suddenly sighed, and his breath fanned over my face. "Come here." He reached toward me with open arms. I looked up at him again, and his cobalt eyes had a stifled strain in them.

Of course I couldn't resist being closer to him. I scooted closer and nestled into his muscled chest. His arms closed around me, and I rested my forehead against the side of his neck. I suddenly forgot why I was frustrated in the first place.

"Don't cry, love." His voice was serene again. "It's okay. I think it's time that I told you anyway."

I couldn't think of how to respond, so I just nodded.

He paused for about a minute, and with the way his muscles tensed slightly, I knew he was deep in thought. Then, he began. "That one night…when I told you I loved you…I had no intention of ever leaving."

I nodded slowly. It sounded good so far, so I continued to listen.

He paused between sentences, and he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "And if I had known that we were leaving, I wouldn't have ever told you. If I had known…how much crap that would put you through, I wouldn't have done it in the first place." I opened my mouth to question him, but he continued before I could get it out. "Hold on, I'm getting there. I just needed you to know that before I started." He paused.

I pressed my lips to his collarbone in encouragement, nodding again for him to continue.

He breathed in and out shakily, and then started again. "That night at the club…my brothers and I were sent there…to go after you and your sisters."

My throat tightened.

"We were ordered to get each of you alone, catch you off guard and kill you quickly." He grimaced at the word 'kill'. "True, it wasn't the best plan Mojo's come up with, but he figured that since he always fails at the complicated plans, the simple approach might work better."

Mojo. Of course, why didn't I guess that before? I should have known. All three of us should have.

"But, obviously that didn't work out…and it was weird how all three of us admitted our feelings for all of you, respectively. That part wasn't planned at all. I guess the night at that nightclub had taken on a life of its' own."

Well, that made me feel slightly better. At least stealing my heart wasn't a part of Mojo's stupid plan.

"Anyway, when we got home, needless to say, Mojo wasn't happy when we told him that you guys were still alive. So after that, he insisted that we start plan B. He dragged us to Citiesville," The disgusted way he said the city's name made it sound awful. I shuddered too, remembering my experience with Citiesville. It wasn't a good one.

"-And this time, he decided to do another complicated plan. And he found a shabby apartment for us to occupy. But when I say the apartment, I mean the entire complex." He grimaced, and I had a feeling he didn't want to go into detail about the apartment. I didn't ask.

"And it turned out that the actual plan sucked ass. It wasn't complicated at all. The plan was to overthrow the Citiesville government and then take over the entire city. Then, after we took control of that, we would work on taking over the next biggest city, which is Townsville. And after that, we would take the third largest towards the eastern side of the state, Urbantown. After that, Farmsville, and so forth. By then, Mojo hoped, we could easily take over the state, then the country, and soon the world.

"Okay, so, maybe it was a little complicated. But, I don't think he realized how long that would take. Years. Decades. And my brothers and I finally realized that this was another stupid Mojo plan that wouldn't work out in the end. We were so sick of it. We were sick of making asses out of ourselves follow after Mojo's antics. So we bailed.

"The Monkey was so pissed. He threatened us and cussed the hell out of us. But in the end, I guess he remembered how much more powerful we were than him and he realized that he couldn't do anything to control us. So, he left us alone. He sulked off somewhere, and we haven't seen him since then. So, we stayed at the apartment complex. We stayed there pretty long, a few months actually. We didn't really know what else to do.

"We were so used to being led by Mojo, and now there weren't any orders for us to fulfill, we had no idea what to do. We tried to rob various stores, but we soon gave up. Citiesville has so much crime in the first place, so when we stole something, it wasn't something huge like it would be in Townsville. It was kind of boring, actually. They sent the police after us, and we escaped. Too easy. It wasn't even fun anymore. So, we just sat in our apartment, bored out of our minds. Meanwhile, I missed you so much that I was going insane.

"And one day, I accidentally let it slip out loud that I missed you. I expected the absolute worst, but as it turned out, my brothers felt the same exact way about Blossom and Buttercup. We all ended up talking about that night at the club, slightly embarrassed, I might add. After all, I don't recall ever talking about girls with my brothers in that much detail. It was a definite first.

"Then, as we went on, we realized we couldn't do this to you. We knew that if anything ever ended up happening between us, especially with how different our lifestyles were, it just couldn't work."

I took a breath to protest, but he went on before I could get a word out.

"I know, I know. It's different now. But I'll get back to that in a second. Anyway, Brick came up with a plan himself for this one. We planned to come back to Townsville and resume as normal lives as we could. Not normal lives for just, but normal for anybody. You know, such as going to school. And we know that we couldn't avoid you guys, and we weren't sure how to break our decision to you. In mean, what could we do? We knew our reasoning didn't seem fair, and that you wouldn't go down without a fight. So, we did what we thought was best. We deliberately avoided you.

"It was a given that a part of the plan had to do with getting involved with other girls. It was worse than I had ever imagined. I knew from the get-go that I wouldn't be able to keep it up, and of course I was the one to crack first. I thought I would be the only one to give up, but I guess Butch couldn't take it anymore either. I can't believe he even thought about killing himself. I had no idea that he was going through such agony.

"And, this is kind of off subject, but I just want you to know that I want this to last more than anything. I want to be with you until you don't want me anymore. So, I'm giving up crime. For good. No more stealing, no more hurting anyone. And I mean it. Because I know that by doing all that, it would strain our relationship, and I don't want that. So, that's it. I'm done, okay?"

The back of my throat started to sting, and I lifted my head from his shoulder long enough to look him squarely in the face. His face was smooth with absolute seriousness. I saw no hesitation or doubt in his eyes. He meant it.

"Boomer," I murmured, and the tears spilled over onto my cheeks. "You don't have to. You really don't, not for me."

His arms didn't loosen around me, and he looked me directly in the eye. "I'd rather give up crime to be with you than to steal and lose you forever."

Fireworks exploded inside of me. I grabbed his face and pulled his lips to mine, kissing him almost savagely. He chose me over a life that he had lived almost seventeen years. _He chose me_.

The moment of intensity was gone, though, and his chuckles were muffled by my lips. He pulled away, and when I tried to grab his face again, he laughed and grabbed my hands in one of his.

"Whoa! Hold on, there, I'm not done yet!"

Only slightly disappointed that our moment of passion was gone, I managed to chuckle with him. "Sorry."

He shook his head, still smiling. "All right, where was I?" He paused for a moment, probably collecting his thoughts again. "Right. So, I'm guessing Butch has already made this decision for Buttercup as well. And at this point, Brick is the only one still sticking to his plan. I have no idea why. I mean, I don't really see the point of it when Butch and I have already given in."

Something occurred to me, and I suddenly interrupted. "Wait! So, are you saying that the only reason Brick is still avoiding Blossom is because of the plan?"

He paused before answering, as if he thought it was a trick question. "…Yes." His tone sounded as if he might as well have said, 'Why? Do you want me to repeat that three more times?'

I shook my head in quick, side-to-side movements. I rubbed my right temple. I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner. "So, maybe he still has feelings for her?"

He considered this, then nodded slowly. "Well, he hasn't been normal for a long time. I don't even remember the last time I saw the old Brick. I really don't. But, I have a feeling the last time was before all of this happened. And I know it has something to do with Blossom."

My jaw hung open in complete and utter shock. "Oh…my…God." I shook my head again. "Oh my God. I can't believe this. I _have_ to tell Blossom!"

As I begun to scramble out of Boomer's grasp and fly towards the door, he grabbed my sockless foot. "Whoa, whoa. You're not going anywhere." When he touched my foot, his fingertips brushed my toes, and it tickled horribly. I squealed and dropped to the ground immediately, lost in a fit of giggles.

As soon as my laughing slowed, I attempted to glare at him. In the end, though, I just ended up smiling anyway. "And, why not?"

He scooted off of the bed and sat on the floor next to me. His mouth was twisted in into something that was in-between a smirk and an amused grin. "Because, I have to leave soon." He shot a quick glance at the clock on the wall before looking down at me again.

I glanced at the clock too, and I gasped.

_3:19 a.m._

"Oh, crap."

His smile widened. "Exactly. So, I guess I should leave soon, since I know you like this thing called sleeping."

I returned his smile, but at the same time, I was struggling to keep my eyelids open. "Don't leave."

"I think I should." He lowered the volume of his voice, and he brought his lips to my forehead. He kissed it tenderly, and then he kissed his way down my temple, down my cheek, and finally my lips. I sighed when he pulled away after only a few pecks. "Besides, I'll see you again in about five hours."

I groaned. That seemed like an eternity.

When he stood and began to walk towards my window, I quickly followed. "Wait!" I managed to spit that one word out before I leaped into his arms. He caught me without hesitation.

And we kissed again, the moonlight bathing us. Thoughts of time faded away.

* * *

**-Back to Blossom's POV-**

I quickly switched my curling iron off, tossing it into the dry sink.

I bent over; flipping my hair upside down and I tousled the soft waves with my fingers. I stood upright again, and I looked at my reflection to find that my hair had a satisfying amount of volume.

I rushed back into my room and yanked my backpack off of the floor. I threw a quick glance at my alarm clock.

_7:47 a.m._

I inhaled a silent gasp and began to rush towards the door. I loved the way my hair looked when I took the time to style it, but it always took so long. Now I had less than ten minutes to eat breakfast.

I started speeding down the hallway, and just as I reached the stairway, I nearly knocked into Bubbles, whom was flying up the stairs at the same time. I gripped the wall as I came to an abrupt stop.

"Oh, shit." I blurted the curse word out, placing a hand over my heart once I was steady. "Sorry, Bubbles. I didn't realize you were coming up."

"It's okay," She mumbled quickly, like she was trying to talk too fast. "I was looking for you!"

My eyebrows rose. "Looking for me? But don't you and Boomer usually leave by now?"

She nodded her head impatiently. "Yes, yes, but I have to tell you something first!" Her hands flailed in the air as if it would help get the words out quicker.

I sensed her urgency, and I knew it had to be important. "Okay, then tell me!"

She swallowed hard and only paused briefly. "Well, I was talking to Boomer last night, and he told me the whole story of where they were and why they left a few months ago. Him and his brothers were basically forced by Mojo to go to Citiesville for another one of his plans, but it was a really lame plan, so then they ditched Mojo. And so they stayed in Citiesville for a while, and they tried crime, but it didn't work out. So _then--"_

I interrupted. "Okay, hold on. Wait. So are you telling me that the _entire_ time they were gone, they were just in Citiesville?"

She huffed impatiently. " _Yes,_ now listen! That's not even the most important part! The important part is that they all had a discussion about us, and they came up with _another_ plan that involved other girls and coming back and--"

I cut in again, tone dry. "Bubbles, I'm really not seeing the point, here."

"The point _is_ that the only reason Brick is avoiding you still is because he's the only one that's still going through with his plan. Butch and Boomer _aren't_ , and that's why Buttercup and I are with them now! Because they gave up! So, if you could somehow get Brick to give in, you guys could be together!"

I stared at her, unable to respond. There was no way that was true.

"He still cares about you, Blossom! I just know it."

Suddenly, the front door opened, and Boomer's baritone voice echoed up to the stairwell. "Baby, come on! We're going to be late."

She turned away from me to call to him. "I'll be right there!" Then she turned back to me to give me a convicting gaze. Her face was serious, almost gravely serious. "Just think about it."

Then she flew down the stairs and out the front door.

I stared after her, even though she was long gone.

Part of me wanted to squat down and hug my knees, begging the taunting pain to steer clear from me. Another wanted to blow off her words completely, to not even consider them once. But Bubbles said them with such fervor that I couldn't let it slide.

So, I just stood there. My abused heart didn't want to believe that it could be true, it had already been through so much.

But somehow, there was still a flame of hope inside me, flickering. It was small, but it was still there.

Would it be so bad to let it grow, even just a little?


	23. Clarity

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

 

" _If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were."_

_-Richard Bach_

 

**-Blossom's POV-**

It had been the longest, most agonizing three weeks that I'd had in a while.

The day that Bubbles had told me that there was a chance of Brick still having feelings for me, I had begun to hope. Later that day, she told me more of the details, and I realized something.

It wasn't that he _chose_ to stay away from me. I had more of a feeling that he was _obligated_ to. Obligated because of his brothers, because of his responsibility as a leader. It all made sense.

So, now it was my turn. I just had to goad him out and make him realize that it was okay now. He didn't need to pretend anymore.

Somehow, though, that process was taking much longer than I thought.

I started after that first day during Honors Calculus. It wasn't big, or even much at all, I just asked him for a pencil. He didn't look at me, or even seem to acknowledge that I spoke to him at first. Then, he roughly opened his backpack on the ground, reached inside, and tossed the pencil onto the surface of my desk.

Then, for a few days, I was out of ideas. But after my slump, I decided to say 'hi' to him in a casual voice as I sat at my desk. I didn't get a reply, and I suppose he decided to pretend to not hear me. A few days later, though, I tried again, and that time I got a small nod in my general direction.

Even with my attempts, the tension in the air didn't ease. But, after the few first days, we finally began answering questions that Mr. Degrazio asked the class. The middle-aged teacher seemed thrilled at this.

This went on for days, and I would alternate methods. For maybe two or three days at a time, I asked for a pencil, and then for the others, I would say hello to him. I would get mixed results. The one I remembered the most, which was maybe a week ago, was when I said hi, and he grunted.

It wasn't much. But it was a start.

So I continued, willing myself to slowly let my hope grow, bit by bit.

But I didn't allow myself to trust him. No, not yet. I simply couldn't. For now, though, I'd keep trying.

Currently, I sat with Bubbles and Buttercup at the kitchen table. They sat close, chatting up a storm about something. I couldn't concentrate on their words. Whatever it was, though, I was sure it had to do with their boyfriends.

Just as I began to burrow further into my thoughts, Buttercup turned to me. "Hey, Bloss, what about you?"

I glanced up at her and Bubbles, eyeing them blankly. "What?" I suppose they didn't notice that I wasn't paying attention to them.

Bubbles sighed. "What about Brick?"

The mention of his name so suddenly made my stomach lurch into my chest. I blinked at her, ignoring my own reaction. "…What _about_ him?"

Buttercup grabbed a breakfast roll off of the platter in the middle of the table. She tore it apart with her fingers. "When do you think Brick will come back to you?"

I turned to stone, my eyes locking with hers. Was she serious? Why would she joke about something like that to me?

"…Why…why would you say that, Buttercup?" I felt the hurt sink into my voice, though it was nearly a whisper.

Her eyebrows narrowed in a confused manner. "What?" She exchanged a puzzled expression with Bubbles.

"What do you mean, 'what'? Why would you ask me that?" To be honest, I felt a bit betrayed. Didn't she know me at all?

"Why would I ask you that? Why, don't you still have feelings for Brick?"

Dry ice shot through my veins. I stared at her for a few long moments, my mouth open and gaping. I was speechless.

Bubbles nervously opened her phone as a 'distraction'.

As soon as I collected my angry, bitter, betrayed thoughts, I spoke again. "Buttercup…I thought you understood. I thought _everyone_ understood." I stood from my seat. "He's moved on."

Buttercup stood too. "But we _told_ you. It was a plan. He had to do it."

"Then why hasn't he given up on the 'plan'?" My voice rose, verging on hysteria.

"Blossom, calm down. You need to give him a chance."

I paused, remembering all of my attempts the past few weeks. I bit the inside of my cheek as I felt my slight anger cool down. "Well, I have been trying to get through to him."

Bubbles stood as well this time. "You have? Has it worked?"

I half shrugged. "I don't know, kind of. He isn't _completely_ ignoring me now."

A unanimous gasp came from my sisters.

I held up my hands, shaking my head frantically. "No, no! Stop, it doesn't mean anything."

"But that's much better than _nothing!_ " Bubbles' voice nearly shot through three octaves in her excitement.

I shook my head more, grabbing my empty plate and bringing it to the dishwasher. "Whatever."

I couldn't let myself believe in anything yet. I couldn't let my hopes up.

Yet, the entire morning, I couldn't wipe that small grin off of my face.

Now, at lunch, I sat at a table with Crystal, Aimee, Victoria, Steven, and my sisters with their boyfriends. Their conversations swirled around me, but I couldn't focus on any of them.

All I could think of was how things would go with Brick today.

Would he ignore me again, or would there be some sort of tremendous improvement? I hadn't been able to think about anything else the whole day. My knees bounced up and down underneath the table in anxious anticipation. I decided that taking a look around the cafeteria might distract me.

First, I started with our table. Steven met my eyes from across the table. As soon as he caught my gaze, he gave me his timid, small smile. I smiled back briefly and switched my gaze elsewhere.

My gaze landed on Princess's table, where about five other girls sat.

I guess that happened to be her entourage for the moment. They whispered amongst themselves and took quick, envious glances at my sisters. About two of them shared the same copper-y red hair as Princess, and from the look of their roots, I guessed that their tresses were a fake red.

Another was the same girl with olive skin, thick and dark brown hair and perfect face I had seen with Brick just a few weeks earlier. Her dark, almond shaped eyes were slightly puffy and red, and her face was twisted with upset. I assumed that their fling hadn't ended well.

One girl with chin length, platinum blonde hair noticed that I was looking, so I turned my gaze again.

This time, my gaze landed on Brick. He sat at the table that used to be occupied by all three of the Rowdyruff brothers, but now, he only sat with his current 'lady friend'. I studied her for a few moments.

She had a slim, athletic body, maybe one of a dancer. Her skin had clearly been coated with a spray-on tan, but it was too deep and orange-looking to look natural. It was too bad; it seemed that her skin was pretty clear underneath all of that. Her hair looked like it had been originally an innocent light brown, but now it was streaked with blonde. It was styled into crunchy looking, gel-coated curls. I could only see half of her face, but I then realized I recognized her.

Her name was Katelyn Peterson. I probably hadn't said more than three words to the girl, but she was new to Townsville High last year. I honestly didn't know her that well, but, you know how word gets around. There were rumors that she, well…let's just say she wasn't exactly a prude. And I sort of believed those rumors, but with good reason.

One day last school year, I remembered an instance of going to the restroom during class and running into Katelyn in the hallway. Actually, I wouldn't call it running into her as much as turning the corner to see her completely, full-on making out with some random upperclassmen. They hadn't even heard me, they were so busy. And after that, I never recalled seeing her with him again. I never even heard about them dating.

This revelation made me see Brick and her-–together--differently. I mean, there she was, sitting on his lap. And he was looking up at her with that smile of his.

Was that his type? The cleavage-baring, midriff-baring tank top wearing type? The type who wore their jeans so low, they couldn't bend over without flashing the world?

She turned to face him, and then proceeded to kiss him slowly and sultrily on the lips.

I turned away, feeling disgusted and feeling something else I couldn't name. I set down the apple I had been holding for an entire five minutes. I thought eventually that I could calm down enough to eat it, but now, my stomach churned sourly.

Well, I shouldn't have been surprised. Katelyn was gorgeous. And wasn't that always the only thing teenage guys wanted in the first place? Sex?

Of course, not all guys were like that, I was sure, but Brick could have easily been that type. He was the 'school player' after all.

And just how many girls had he slept with at the school by now? Sure, it was only mid-October, but with one girl a week, that could be quite a few.

Suddenly, I felt compelled to glance at Steven again. A small twinge of shame hit me when I saw that he had followed my gaze towards Brick and Katelyn. He then turned to look at me again.

His soft gray eyes were sympathetic, pleading and compassionate all at the same time. He gave me a small slant of the mouth, not completely a smile, but not a frown either. It was as if he were to say, 'It's okay. You know I'm here.'

Why did I feel so awful when he looked at me like that?

The lunch bell rang, and a sea of students stood to go exit the doors. I stood with them, breaking my gaze with Steven.

I walked to my locker quickly, because I knew what time it was.

Although the anticipation was nearly eating me alive, a small hole of dread seemed to be forming itself in my stomach.

#

I was idle in front of the door to the Honors Calculus room, and my muscles were either not listening to my brain or were paralyzed with the near unnecessary excitement. I closed my eyes for a moment.

'Just remember what Bubbles said. Remember that something is better than nothing.'

I forced the picture of Brick and Katelyn from my mind, and in one motion, I turned the knob and entered the room. There he was, sitting in the same place he always did, in a red, plaid flannel shirt. The sleeves were pushed up, and it wasn't too baggy or too tight. His signature red trucker hat was where it always was too, sitting atop his head, skewed slightly to the side.

I made my way to the desk next to his, the hard soles of my pink ballet flats clicking against the linoleum.

As soon as I made it there, I gently and cautiously set my binder down on the surface of the desk. I let a few moments pass so it wouldn't seem like I was overeager. Then, I spoke up in a soft voice. "Hey," I made sure my tone was casual. And it was, it had the perfect amount of casualty. I waited and watched for his response.

Nothing.

Well, maybe he hadn't heard me. Maybe my voice was a lot softer than I thought it had been. After a few hesitant moments, I decided to try again.

"Um, hey…Brick." I cringed as soon as his name left my mouth. That was definitely the wrong thing to do. It made my casual greeting sound more like, 'Hello, _Brick!_ I'm desperately trying to get your attention!'

He finally turned his head in my general direction, and I took that as a form of reply.

Then, Mr. Degrazio moved to the front of the classroom, and class begun.

At one point during class, it seemed that Mr. Degrazio had misplaced his lesson plan for the day, so while he went to go look in every disorganized drawer at his desk, the everyone began talking again.

I decided it was the perfect opportunity for me to talk to Brick, so I took it.

I turned quietly in his direction and hesitated at first, but I went on ahead and spoke. "If we're lucky, he won't find it." I threw in a chuckle or two for good measure. Then, I waited.

Nothing again.

Okay, maybe he wasn't in the mood for joking.

But finally, some type of movement came from him. Just not the kind I expected.

I expected some type of nod, or a flick of the hand. Maybe even a quick glance, even that would be an improvement. But that's not what I got.

He turned completely to face me, and what I got was the longest, coldest glare I had received in my life.

Sure, I had been glared at by many people. Villains of all shapes and sizes glared at me nearly every day of my life.

But this menacing glower was so full of pure hatred; it tore deep into me and froze me to the core.

I stared back at him, my eyes wide with slight fear and alarm. I didn't even know how to react.

I didn't expect him to take me back, arms wide open. But I didn't expect him to fully and completely hate me either.

His burning red eyes bored into me, nearly scalding my skin. I could practically feel third-degree burns forming. The scar that slashed across his eyebrow was narrowed even further than his brow.

My muscles were tense, and I couldn't move.

Finally, though, I had the strength to speak.

"…Is…is there a problem…?" My voice was a whisper. I took that moment to glance quickly around the room. Everyone else was preoccupied with their conversations, and Mr. Degrazio still searched frantically for his lesson plan.

His intense scowl didn't lighten as he spoke. "Yes, there is. You're my problem." His voice was curt and to the point, and he didn't even bother to whisper.

A few people glanced at us because of the harsh tone of his voice, but seconds later they lost interest.

His words stabbed into the dread in my stomach, making the hole grow larger. His voice wasn't how I remembered it. The voice I remembered was confident, and when he spoke to me that one night that I'd always remember, it was warm. This voice was bitter, acidic. It ground against my eardrums like sandpaper.

I swallowed hard, trying to force down the lump in my throat. "Excuse me?" I whispered again, disbelief in my tone. "…Did…did I do something to you?"

He rolled his eyes and clenched his jaw. "God, you are so annoying."

My jaw dropped, and the hole grew bigger once again. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I hadn't seen this side of Brick in the longest time. I couldn't even remember the last time I had. I shook my head slowly. "What are you--"

"Could you just _shut up_ for once in your life?" His voice stung harsher than venom. "Just _shut up_. Can you leave me the hell _alone?"_

The hole ripped open.

" _Hey!_ That's enough, you two." Mr. Degrazio barked at us, finally taking his place at the front desk again. "Unless you want to continue your little discussion in the Principal's office, I suggest you shut your mouths."

Brick gave me one last dark glance, and then he turned to face the board again.

During the rest of class, I didn't hear a word of what Mr. Degrazio said.

It was as if I were in a train tunnel that was a mile long, and I stood at one end and someone stood at the other. I would hear the muffled sound of their shouts, but I couldn't decipher the words because I was too far away.

I was far off somewhere else.

I didn't know where I was, but I wasn't in the classroom. I couldn't feel the hard, plastic chair I sat on. I couldn't feel the smooth surface of my binder beneath my hands. My eyes stared forward, but I didn't see anything.

If I pretended I were somewhere else, the darkness wouldn't find me.

I didn't remember hearing the dismissal bell, but all of a sudden, I was walking through a hallway full of people, binder in hand. I heard Bubbles' voice, somewhere, but I wasn't sure where. She asked me a question. I answer her, but I didn't comprehend the answer. The words came out themselves.

Then, I was in my seventh hour class, American History. The teachers' voice was distant. I knew subconsciously that I had that class with Aimee, and that I always sat next to her. I felt her small finger tap my shoulder a few times, but I didn't turn to her.

And, it seemed only minutes later that I was in the hallway again.

My feet carried me where they always did, to the places and through the hallways I was so used to by now. It felt like everything was on autopilot. Yeah, that was it. I just needed to go the places I needed to go, continue my life.

If I kept doing everything that I normally did, if I shoved away the thoughts and memories I needed to, everything would be okay. The pain would stay away.

Wouldn't it?

Now I was in Art, my last class of the day. I didn't remember moving to sit in my seat, I was just there. I vaguely heard Mrs. Matthews voice drag through the walls of my anesthesia, and I felt paper under one hand and a sketching pencil in the other. My hands didn't move. Somewhere, wherever I was, I knew that if I didn't make them move, I would fail the assignment.

Not even the fear of failing made my muscles move.

Then, my locker was in front of me. I couldn't remember which books to take home for homework, or even where they were. The next second, I felt the backpack straps on my shoulders.

I heard Bubbles' and Buttercups' voices, and along with them I heard two male voices that I couldn't put names to. Well, I most likely could, it was just that I didn't want to. It would make me remember things that I didn't want to. I ignored the voices, and before I noticed, I was soaring through the air. I didn't know how fast I was going, but before I could begin to think about it, I was already standing in our front lawn.

I was almost there.

And I was beginning to panic. Anxiety crawled up my throat. I was coming back. I didn't want to come back. Not now.

I threw the front door open, not bothering to shut it behind me. I tripped up the first step in my haste, and I flew clumsily the rest of the way up. My hands were in front of me, feeling around like I couldn't see, but I could now. My blurry, far-away vision was becoming clearer. The detachment was quickly fading away.

I swung my bedroom door open, flinging myself inside. I slammed it behind me.

My vision was perfect now, too perfect. Too clear.

The sound of my breathing whooshed in my ears too loudly.

My hands trembled, and I held them up to my face.

The skin on my face was cold and clammy.

My room was too quiet. I needed noise; noise would distract me from what I didn't want to hear.

But it was too late.

" _Yes there is. You're my problem."_ The voice that said this was so loud, and if I didn't know any better, I would think that they were in the room with me.

I walked backwards, pressing my back small blank space of wall. My wide eyes searched the room, just to make sure. Sure enough, I was the only living being in that room.

" _You're my problem."_

His paralyzing glare invaded my vision.

" _God, you are so annoying."_

" _ANNOYING."_

" _Can you shut up for once in your life?"_

" _JUST SHUT UP."_

" _Leave me the hell alone."_

The words swirled in my head, in my ears, in front of my eyes, everywhere. They seemed to increase in volume each time. My eyelids squeezed shut. I slumped over on the floor, my hands clutching at my stomach, because I knew what was coming.

The searing, lacerating ache escaped from its hiding place, where it had been lurking, waiting for my wall of protection to falter. It gashed into me, cleaved, slashed through me, and somehow now it was more excruciating than it had ever been.

I was limp as it took over me, and water spilled from my eyes.

Behind those awful words, I could hear something that sounded like heart-wrenching whimpers and sobs. I felt air whooshing in and out of me unevenly, so I knew it was me.

Each breath hurt, like something inside of me had been damaged. And not just a few gashes. It felt like it had been broken beyond repair. I didn't know exactly where it was, but it ached with such intensity, the rest of my body felt useless. Worthless, even.

 _I_ felt worthless.

It was amazing how such trivial words could destroy me.

It was like I was standing near the edge of a precipice, and the littlest things that happened were the tiniest of tiny nudges, all clustering together to become shoves, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. Those words he said to me were just enough to send me plunging to the ocean below.

All up until now, I had thought I had come so far. I thought my progress had paid off so much. I thought I was beginning to be okay again, I thought I was nearly healed. I thought I had nearly moved on.

Now I knew that I was kidding myself.

I had given in. Even though I told myself, and even told _everyone_ that he didn't have power over me anymore, he still did.

I had allowed myself to bring him into my life again. Even though I didn't realize that was what I was doing, I did. My hope was bigger than I had let on. Somewhere inside, I still believed that he wanted me.

But today, when he looked at me like that, said those words to me, it was obvious.

He didn't want me.

He never wanted me. I never meant anything to him. I was always just a stupid super heroine to him. He always hated me, and now I knew without a doubt that he always would.

So I needed to let go.

That was it. This time, I really did mean it.

I needed to let go of him…no. I needed to _push him away_. I needed to push him out of my mind, out of my life. For good.

It was the only way.

I couldn't allow myself to think about him anymore. I couldn't allow myself to talk about him, say his name. If someone said something about him, I would change the subject. I wouldn't even look at him anymore.

Forcing him out of my life was the only way for me.

Last time, I failed to do that, and I got swept up into him again. I couldn't do that this time, I just couldn't.

It wasn't healthy for me to be this way, and I needed it all to stop. If I could get over him for good, everything would be so much better. I could be myself again, and I could live my life again.

So I needed to do this for myself.

I hated feeling miserable all the time. I hated feeling empty. And this was the only way I could get rid of the emptiness.

I owed it to myself to do this.

I continued to lie on the floor, and my tears stained the dark pink carpet. I stayed there for a while, lying on the ground, but completely awake.

#

My eyes were dry by now.

I wasn't sure how long I had been there in that spot, but I knew it had been a while. I looked up at the window. When I got home, it was completely light outside. Now it was pitch black. Cool night breeze poured in, so I guess I had forgotten to shut my window that morning.

Earlier, my family had come to check on me.

Bubbles was the first to knock on my door. She called my name softly, but I didn't respond.

Buttercup was about fifteen minutes after her, and even when her fist pounded repeatedly into the door, it didn't drive me to get up and answer it. I simply mumbled, "Go away," in a foggy, brittle voice that didn't sound like me. Her feet stomped as she walked away.

Then Professor was the last. He said, "Honey, are you alright?"

I only responded with a sniff or two.

After that, none of them tried anymore, but their voices floated under the crack of the door from the kitchen. It sounded like they were eating dinner. I still didn't move, it wasn't like I would be able to eat right then anyway.

"She wouldn't answer for you, either?" Buttercup sounded deeply aggravated.

"No," Professor paused. "Do you girls have an idea of why she's upset?"

There was silence for a moment, besides the scraping of forks and knives against plates. Bubbles spoke after that.

"I think it has something to do with Brick."

Something tore through me.

"Who? Oh, that's Boomer's and Butch's brother, correct?"

"Yeah," Buttercup answered curtly, obviously a bit annoyed that Professor didn't already know that bit of information.

"I see. Well, did something happen at school today?"

"See, that's what _we_ think." Bubbles said this with a full mouth, and she probably paused because she had to swallow. "Near the end of the school day, she was acting really weird. She had this blank look on her face, and almost every time we tried to talk to her, she wouldn't answer."

"Hmm. That definitely sounds like an upset Blossom to me."

"Yeah," Buttercup added. "And I'm pretty sure it happened after lunch, because she was fine then."

"Yeah, she was! She was a little quiet, but she seemed fine."

There was another pause as they finished up their meals.

"Well," Professor's voice came further away this time, so I assumed he had stood up to walk to the other side of the room. "Whatever happened, she'll make it through okay. She's Blossom, she always does."

I had stopped listening then.

By now, it had been dark in my room for a while. I was really starting to wonder what time it was.

Before I could muster up enough willpower to sit up, though, my phone started ringing. It only took me a few seconds to realize that it was Steven's ringtone.

I suddenly shot up from the ground, my head swimming from the sudden shift in blood flow. I ignored it, though, and I reached into my jeans pocket. I didn't even hesitate to flip the phone open.

"Steve," I said into the phone, and my voice sounded foggy again. Though, I didn't care how I sounded to Steven for once. All I cared about was that he was calling me.

"Hey, Bloss." He replied, and only paused for a second. His voice became soft. "What's wrong?"

How in the world did he know? I was amazed how immediately he knew that there was something wrong.

"Can you come over?" I didn't know why I was asking him to come over. I had absolutely no clue.

"Come over?" Steven echoed, slightly alarmed. I didn't know why he sounded like that until he added, "It's nine o'clock at night."

I glanced over at my clock as soon as he said that, and sure enough, he was right.

_9:12 p.m._

"It is, isn't it?" My tone came out melancholy.

Why was I so disappointed that he couldn't come over? Normally I would be fine with it and move on, as if it were no big deal. Why was it such a huge letdown now?

There was a long pause, and Steven's breathing sounded like static against the receiver.

Then, he spoke again. "I'll be there in ten minutes, okay?"

I gripped the phone. He was coming over, even though it was so late? He had never been over here so late before. Part of me wanted to say, 'It's okay, you don't have to! Really, you don't.' But I just couldn't make those words come out of my mouth.

So, all I said was, "Okay."

#

I paced the dark family room, clad in my baggy, light pink sleep pants and white tank top. My hair was tossed up into a sloppy bun at my crown.

I gnawed on one of my fingernails impatiently, and every minute or so, I would remove the nail from my teeth and stare at my ruined hot pink manicure.

The house was deathly quiet, save for Buttercup's wake-the-dead snoring.

Just when it seemed like he wouldn't show, the headlights from Steven's black 1998 Chevrolet truck shined through the house's front windows. I rushed to the door before he could ring the doorbell and swung it open.

His hair, which was normally in perfect spikes on top of his head, was now disheveled and messy. He only had on dark jeans and a broken-in, old-school Rolling Stones t-shirt. I grabbed is arm and pulled him inside, taking extra care to shut the door quietly.

Steven seemed alarmed at first. "Blossom, am I allowed to be here at this hour?" His panic stopped, though, when he saw the look on my face. He threw his arms around me almost immediately. "What's wrong?" He whispered directly into my ear.

I leaned into his chest, my ear resting against his pounding heartbeat. I didn't answer him.

"Tell me," he murmured.

I lifted head and looked him in the eyes. I wasn't sure why I felt like he was the only person I could turn to; the only person I knew would understand and make me feel better. The back of my throat began to sting again.

"Please," I whispered. "Stay with me."

#

We sat on the couch in the dark living room, talking about things that would help distract me. He held me in his lap, my head resting on his shoulder and my feet dangling over his arms. Not once did I feel uncomfortable.

His embrace was welcoming and warm.

For a few minutes, neither of us said anything. Again, it wasn't awkward at all, just needed.

Then, at one point, I had to bring it up.

"Steve," My voice was so quiet; I was surprised he could hear me.

"Hmm?"

I sat up and I turned to face him, which was slightly challenging with my current position. I felt the determination on my face beneath the dullness. "I'm done with Brick."

His muscles stiffened, and his eyes met mine. "Blossom, you don't have to-"

"No, listen. I'm done with him, and I mean it this time." I paused, shaking my head. "I can't deal with it anymore. He's…he's hurt me too much." I stopped when my voice trembled without warning.

Steven watched my face for a few moments, and then nodded slowly. "Good. That's real good, Bloss."

I nodded too, and I glanced away. "Yeah. I was just never able to fully let go of him…but I'm going to start. I need to."

"Good," Steven said again, and there was the sound of a smile in his voice. "You deserve better than him."

I noticed that the tone of his voice had changed when he said that, so I glanced up at him again. His eyes were deep with passion. I was transfixed.

I had been waiting for someone to look at me like that for the longest time. Why hadn't I noticed before?

"I know."

He reached his hand up to my face, and it touched my skin with such an incredible softness, I could feel the chill down to my bones. He leaned towards me slowly, and then lingered for a few moments. Goosebumps raised on my skin.

Then his lips were on mine.

It was a completely different kiss than the one I had first dreamed so many nights ago. It was gentler than I though was possible. And so innocent. It was so much better than I thought it would be.

It wasn't that long either, but still _really good_.

When he pulled away, he kept his hand where it was. His eyes still locked with mine. "Blossom, you need to know." Emotion swept across his face, and my breathing heaved. "You know I would never do this to you. I would never hurt you like this."

My throat felt clogged, so I nodded.

He continued. "And, I know you're not ready to feel the same, but please hear me out, okay?" He brought his other hand to my face, and it had just as much gentleness as the other. "Bloss, I'm in love with you."

I thought I would feel just as much guilt, just as much discomfort as I normally would if I had heard him say that. But I didn't. Instead, those words sent the uncanny urge to draw closer to him. To feel his warmth.

"And I know I'm not perfect, I know I'm probably not good enough for you, but I want to be there. I want to know everything about you. I want to be the one that makes you happy. I _love_ you."

I wasn't in love with him. I wish I were, but the love I felt for him was more of a brotherly-sisterly love. And I cared for him deeply, just not that way.

And even though I didn't love him the way he loved me, his words warmed me. The sensation reminded me of playing in a snowstorm for two hours and then coming inside the house to warm, homemade hot chocolate.

I also knew that I didn't want to break his heart the way mine had been broken.

"Steve," I murmured. And I wasn't sure if I was going to regret the words I was going to say next, but I was sure that at the moment, I wanted to say them. "Let's give it a try."

His gray eyes widened. "Give what a try?"

"Us," I paused, fixing my face muscles to form what felt like a smile. "Let's try…us." It felt kind of strange to say.

He seemed in complete shock for a few moments.

I would finally give Steve the chance I thought he deserved. There was no reason that I _couldn_ ' _t_ go out with him. And who knew? Maybe he could have turned out to be the love of my life, and I hadn't even realized it until then. Maybe he could be the one to fix my heart again.

Finally, he found his voice again. "O-Okay," A giant grin appeared across his face. "Okay!"

He brought my face to his again and kissed my lips once more. I let him. As he pulled away, the smile that stretched his lips hadn't faded. "Wow." He shook his head. "I never thought I would hear you say that."

He stayed after that, although, not the whole night. And even after he had to leave, he called me as soon as he was in the car.

We talked on the phone until we both fell asleep.

#

The next morning was interesting.

Not only was I somewhat disorientated from getting little to no sleep, but I felt strange. I wasn't sure why, but I didn't feel like I normally did.

Maybe it was because I was no longer single.

Yeah, it probably had something to do with that. I hadn't had a _serious_ boyfriend…well, ever. I didn't think I would feel any different with a boyfriend, but I did. I couldn't explain the feeling.

That morning at breakfast felt exactly how it did when I first emerged out of my bedroom a week before school started.

My family gave me the same, cautious stare, as if any second I would snap and start screaming or burst into tears. But of course I wouldn't. I didn't know why I would, anyway.

 _I had a boyfriend now_.

As I calmly put waffles on my plate, Bubbles hesitantly spoke up.

"Hey Bloss," She spoke slowly, exactly how she had spoken to me that one morning. "How are you doing?"

"Fine." I answered simply, putting a small glob of butter on top of the waffles. I looked up at her and smiled.

There was more silence for a moment as my family studied me. Despite their eyes on me, I continued what I was doing. I took a bite of my food as Bubbles spoke again.

"You're…fine?" She said it like she hadn't heard the word before in her life.

I nodded slowly, my eyebrows raised.

"You're not upset anymore?" Professor sounded just as confused as Bubbles. I looked up from my plate, and his eyebrows were cocked. "Because…you can stay home today if you need some time."

I shook my head, my lips pursed. "Of course not. Why would I be upset?"

Buttercup looked at me like I was crazy. "Because of Bri-"

"By the way," As I interrupted her, my tone was a little louder than I planned it to be. But I hoped it got the point across. "I just thought you should know, Steven and I are dating now."

The room filled with silence again.

"…Steven?" Bubbles looked at me in disbelief. Her forehead wrinkled, and her baby blues looked like they were going to pop out of her head.

"What?" Buttercup said simultaneously, and her expression looked just about the same.

"But," Bubbles continued. "Why Steven? What about Bri-"

" _Anyway_ ," I interrupted again, and I could tell that they got the point that time, because they all raised their eyebrows. "He's a great guy. I can't believe I didn't see it before."

Buttercup wrinkled her nose. "Ew, why would you say that? He's disgusting."

"Buttercup," I scolded. I had nearly forgotten about her dislike for Steven, but I was still very offended. "Be nice."

"I don't like him, Blossom. I just don't."

"I don't understand why you don't. You don't know him like I do. If you knew him as well as I do, you would like him."

"I sure as hell wouldn't. People like him and people like me just don't mix."

I frowned and stood from the table, deciding I was suddenly full. "Well, I'm sorry Buttercup, but just because you don't like him, it doesn't mean I can't date him."

I heard her scoff behind me as I turned around, leaving my nearly full plate on the table. I wasn't even all the way out of the front door before I heard her angered ranting.

#

The days seemed to pass me by, and before I knew it, it had officially been a week that Steven and I were together.

That first day of school that Steven and I walked through the halls together, hand in hand, gossip spread like a wildfire throughout the school. I began to see people staring at me again, like they were suddenly seeing me differently. We both still hadn't gotten used to the whispering, but I knew in a matter of weeks, it would die down.

After all, some bigger news had been washing through the school. The annual Homecoming dance was in a week.

Steven had already asked me, of course.

But all in all, I hadn't really focused on it as much as everyone else. I couldn't. I was much too distracted by something else.

I was distracted by that weird feeling again. It was the same, strange feeling that I had noticed a week earlier.

And it was always there. It was there when I woke up, there when I went to bed. It never faded.

And was bothered me the most was that I _didn't know what it was_. I didn't know where the feeling came from, or what caused it. I had no idea.

But once it really started getting on my nerves, I pushed it aside from my mind. There was no use letting something bother me if I couldn't do anything about it.

Buttercup and Bubbles were still weird about me and Steven being together, but by now, they stopped badgering me about it. I guess they finally realized that they couldn't change my mind.

Besides, with Steven, I felt good. I felt…different. And maybe it was a good different.

And sure, it would probably take a while for everyone to get used to it, even _me_ …but I knew this was for the better. This was the way it was supposed to be.

And all change needs some getting used to, right?

Another school day was over, and once again, I was the first one to get home after school. Steven had to run a few errands for his mom, so he couldn't come over today. I was disappointed, but he promised that he would call me later.

So there I was, sitting on the couch and watching television by myself.

I wasn't sure what to watch, since it seemed like I hadn't watched T.V. in the longest time. I hardly recognized most of the names of the shows.

I stirred in discomfort against the couch cushions as I continued to click through the channels. The click of the remote was hardly helping me any, and the silence was starting to get to me.

Finally, to my relief, I found a sitcom that had been cancelled a few years ago. I had finally settled with a bag of organic corn chips when the front door burst open. I turned my head toward the door sluggishly.

I was greeted by both my sisters rushing through the door, exchanging rushed words. They hadn't noticed me yet. I peeked over the back of the couch and scowled in their direction.

" _Hi."_

They turned to face me in surprise.

"Oh, Bloss!" Bubbles seemed to disregard the expression on my face, because she beamed brightly at me. "I didn't see you."

Buttercup smiled slightly. "Yeah, sorry. We were just dropping our books off; we were just about to leave."

The scowl wiped off of my face, and instead, I felt my face scrunch in disappointment. "Leave? But you just got here. I haven't seen you all day."

It was true. They even sat somewhere else in lunch; I guess they figured that Steven and I wanted to be alone. That wasn't necessarily true, by the way. But, I decided I wouldn't bring it up. I didn't feel like arguing with them about it.

"Yeah," The cheer in Bubbles' voice hadn't faded a bit. "We were actually going over to the boys' place for once."

I held back a scoff. _The boys_.

"Sounds fun," I tried to sound convincing.

Buttercup read through my fake enthusiasm, I could tell by the way she eyed me. But she changed the subject. "Yeah, so, we'll be back after dinner. Can you tell Professor for us?"

"Sure."

And then they were gone.

* * *

**-Buttercup's POV-**

Mixed feelings overwhelmed me as Mojo's lair came into view in the windshield.

Part of me felt sourly against that volcano-bound building for many reasons. Growing up, Mojo had planned and attempted numerous times to destroy me and my sisters, and they originated there. So, I guess I just hated that place by default.

But I also remembered that it was the exact place Butch attempted suicide.

My stomach churned in reaction to that memory, and I shifted position in the black leather seat. I quickly changed my train of thought.

Despite what happened before that, that was also the exact place Butch and I got together.

That day was still imprinted in my mind, and I could still feel the rain pelting against my skin. We stood on the roof of the lair, holding each other and kissing each other until it felt like our lips would fall off. And even then, we didn't want to stop.

The memory calmed my stomach again, and I leaned back against the black leather interior of Butch's lime green and black Lamborghini.

I had to admit, when I first saw his car, my first reaction was to take over the wheel and take it from him for keeps. It was so badass, I was in love again. If only Professor would finally let us drive.

But then I remembered he was jobless and a former villain and nearly kicked his ass to the Pacific Ocean.

He was practically on his hands and knees, begging me to let him keep his -very much stolen- 'baby'.

"I thought I was your baby." I responded to that comment, folding my arms.

"You are," He clarified with a sly, sheepish smile. "But you can't reach a top speed of 222 miles per hour."

I scoffed challengingly. "Wanna bet?"

"Just get in the car, please."

Currently, we were driving to the lair, Bubbles and Boomer in his Audi behind us. A metal band blasted through the speakers, and I was too distracted to put a name to them, though I easily could if I wanted.

Though, the sudden sensation of Butch's warm hand on my upper thigh woke me from my distractions.

I glanced up at the cheeky expression on his face, dark emerald meshing with soft green. I copied his expression mockingly and attempted to swat his hand away. He caught my hand in his, as he always did, and held it.

"You're quiet." His eyebrows raised, and he turned his eyes to the road again.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

I looked at the road ahead again, and we were blocks away from the lair now. I stared it down, as if trying to force the bad memories to go away.

Butch squeezed my hand, and I dropped my concentration. He used the softer version of his voice that he only uses around me. "Hey, I know what you're thinking. And I know it bothers you."

When he paused to take a right-hand turn, I felt my face muscles tense. It was only then that I realized I was frowning. I tried to lighten my expression.

He looked at me again. "So stop thinking about it."

I gazed back at him silently.

After everything happened, we had never really talked about it. I wasn't completely sure, but I guess it was just because it bothered the both of us to remember it. I guess it was a non-verbal agreement to just avoid talk about it completely.

The car stopped, and I realized we were in a large garage. We were parked on the far right side, and on the far left side, I spotted a shiny, burgundy red BMW M6. I assumed it was Brick's, and I couldn't help but stare at it for a few prolonged seconds.

Then, the engine stopped, and Butch moved into my line of vision again. His verdant eyes melted into mine, and the passion in them overtook me again.

A slight smirk was on his lips as he murmured, "Get over here and kiss me."

After taking a quick glance at the empty driveway outside, I smothered a smile that threatened to twist my lips. No blue Audi. Bubbles and Boomer must have gotten stuck in traffic. I feigned stubbornness for a moment or two. "You can't make me do something I don't want to do."

His smirk grew, his white teeth making an appearance. He ran a hand through his hair. "But you do want to."

My eyebrows rose, and I decided to continue our little game for a while longer. " _Really?_ And what makes you so sure?"

The smirk wiped off of his face, and for a moment, I thought I had ruined the moment. But then his bedroom eyes made an appearance, and he leaned so close to me, the tips our noses brushed. His breath smelled like irresistible peppermint. I felt my entire body slowly begin to heat up.

"Your body's screaming for me."

Oh my God.

I nearly jumped him, and our lips collided so hard, it might've hurt if I didn't want him so much.

My arms snaked around his neck, and he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into his lap. When I was in place, he wrapped his arms around me completely, crushing me tightly to him. He ran them over my lower back, my shoulders, everywhere. One of my hands tangled themselves into his hair, and I grasped the strands and pulled them harshly. I caught his grunt in my mouth, and he caught my gasp in his when I felt his warm, strong hands under my skirt.

I kissed him hungrily, greedily, and my pulse increased every time I felt him return it with the same fervor.

And when you're…well, _busy_ like this, a knock on the window has the effect of a sudden gunshot.

We both pulled away with a jump, and in the process, my butt hit the steering wheel. The car horn sounded loudly, and it ricocheted off of the solid walls.

Our eyes snapped to the window, and standing there was none other than our blonde siblings. Bubbles had her back turned to us, and even then I could hear her smothered snickers. Boomer did nothing to hide his laughs. They echoed throughout the garage. I felt my skin flush red from head to toe.

His voice traveled through the glass. "If you're done mackin' on each other," He paused to glance back at Bubbles when her giggles increased in volume. "We should probably go in."

Even after we flew all the way up to the front door at the top of the dormant volcano, they both still hadn't stopped laughing.

"Shut _up_ already." I scowled at them, the blush in my cheeks still not completely gone.

Butch sounded so pissed off, _I_ would have started laughing if I weren't so humiliated. "Yeah, it wasn't that funny."

"But, just the looks on your faces," Boomer erupted, taking out his house key. For a moment, I was surprised they even needed a key. "Holy crap. We should have recorded that."

Butch folded his arms, shaking his head. "Pervert."

Boomer ignored his brothers' comment and pushed the front door open. I can honestly say I wasn't prepared for what I saw, because my reaction was pretty much genuine.

"Holy shit!" I screamed this, throwing my hands into the air.

"Oh my God, disgusting!" Bubbles said at the same time as me, covering her eyes the next second.

My embarrassment was far from my mind at this point.

Now, before I describe what I saw, let me just say: No teenage boy should _ever_ have their own house or apartment, under _any_ circumstances. And even if they do, they should at least have some sort of form of housekeeping.

All kinds of clothes riddled the floor, and that I could understand if it were their bedrooms. My room pretty much looked like that too. But we were in the _living_ room. Pizza box carcasses and empty Chinese food containers were scattered everywhere, and I could have sworn that a group of pizza boxes formed a pathway to the kitchen. A few ant colonies marched in-between the few carpet strands that were visible. There was a TV across from the beat-up couch, and in that area, uncovered CDs and unused DVD cases scattered around in places they shouldn't have.

Never in my life had I _ever_ had such a strong urge to clean.

Before Bubbles and I could wake from our horrified state, the boys broke out in laughter.

I exchanged a bewildered glance with my sister. Were the fumes from the stale food driving them mad?

"I guess we should have warned you." Butch muttered when his laughter slowed.

Before I could reply with a sarcastic remark, someone spoke before me.

"I'm guessing this is their first time here?"

We all turned toward the staircase, and Brick stood towards the bottom, leaning against the banister. His smirk was a mix of amusement and sick enjoyment.

I felt a sudden spark of uneasiness between me and Bubbles. I didn't have to glance at her expression to know we were thinking the same thing.

Even though I was with his brother now, something still set me off about Brick. Maybe it was because he hadn't made things right with Blossom yet, therefore giving me no reason to trust him. None of us really knew why he was waiting so long to do so, but it was really starting to bug me. Was he going to make her wait forever? Why would he do that?

But I kept my silence. I felt Butch moved behind me and place his hands on my hips securely. He already knew how I felt about his brother, and he was prepared to keep me at bay.

But something told me that Butch and Boomer were slightly uncomfortable with the presence of their brother too.

"Yeah," Boomer answered surprisingly calm, and Bubbles grasped his hand. "It is."

Despite our subtlety, Brick seemed to notice. "Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt your little girlfriends. You don't have to protect them or anything." He spit out the word 'girlfriends' like it was a curse.

I clenched my jaw and glanced up at Butch. He met my eyes, and hostility was nearly sweltering off of him. However, he shook his head at me. My jaw clenched tighter as I looked back at the red Rowdyruff.

"Anyway, don't mind me." He strolled away from the foot of the stairs and into the kitchen. He kicked down a few stacks of pizza boxes in his path. "I was just hungry, so just ignore me like you always do."

My eyebrows rose higher, and I felt Butch's muscles tense. Brick had serious issues.

We all just stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure of whether Brick's comment was a challenge or not. Finally, Boomer spoke up.

"Let's see if anything good's on TV."

His cheerful voice made everyone ease a little bit, so we began to walk towards the couch. Bubbles and I took longer to get there than it took Butch and Boomer, who plowed through the piles of trash and clothes with no problem. We gingerly stepped on the few patches of carpet that shone through the clutter.

When we finally settled and switched the television on, we had a hard time deciding on what to watch. In the end, we decided on a weird-sounding reality show. We only ended up half-watching it because conversation took over. We didn't talk about anything heavy, just light small talk.

"How's Blossom doing?" When Boomer asked this, it was completely out of the blue. None of us mentioned Blossom beforehand. Despite this, though, the conversation continued to flow smoothly.

"She's…" Bubbles hesitated. "…fine."

We had told them about her 'episode' a week earlier. I thought it was awesome how they genuinely cared about our lives and family and stuff.

"Yeah, I guess." I agreed, and I felt my forehead lift. "But she _has_ been kind of distant lately."

"I noticed." Boomer nodded his head, his mouth forming a slant.

"But I can't believe she's dating that dude…what's his name…" Butch paused, his face going blank with concentration.

"Steven." I finished for him, and a smirk twisted my lips. "Seriously, though. That dude bugs the crap out of me."

"Me too," He scrunched his face up in disgust. "He's such a creep."

"I know!"

I felt Bubbles' big-eyed, disapproving stare penetrating through me, and I flinch. "Don't say that. He's a sweet boy."

I couldn't miss Boomer's quick, jealous glance at her. I took a breath to laugh when that same, irritatingly smug voice interrupted me from the kitchen.

"If by sweet, you mean a complete joke, then yes. He's sweet."

Everyone tensed for a moment, and then we all turned our heads to look at him. He sat on top of the filthy counter, legs crossed, with a cold piece of pizza. He also held a can of what looked like beer.

Underage drinking. I shouldn't have been surprised. My lip curled in repulsion.

Then, Bubbles said something that none of us expected. "No." She snapped. "He's _sweet_." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. Even _her_ patience was waning with his antics.

"Whatever." He replied lazily and took a ginormous bite out of the pizza slice. Quite sloppily, I might add.

I eyed him for a moment, and he caught my gaze. He suddenly looked defensive and narrowed his eyes at me. I wasn't fazed.

"What?" He bit out.

I raised my eyebrows in challenge. I could beat his ass any day, any time, and he knew it. "Jealous?"

This time, his eyebrows narrowed too. "Of who?"

"Steven."

He nearly choked and gagged for an entire minute before he took three giant swigs from his can. Then, evidently, it was empty, so he crushed it with a simple flex of his fingers. He tossed it across the room as he glared at me again. "See what you did? I could have died!"

I rolled my eyes and stood up from the couch so I could see him better. "Please, prima donna." His glare darkened at this, and I smirked. "It was a simple question, are you gonna answer it or not?"

"Yes, I _am_ going to answer it." His glance switched to Bubbles for a brief second when she stood and walked to my side. "And the answer _is_ , don't make me gag. Please."

The smirk fell off my face, and I froze stone cold. What did he just say? I felt the beginnings of a fierce glare on my face. I took a quick glance at Bubbles, and her forehead was furrowed slightly. I asked, "And _what_ the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

He ripped the remains of the pizza apart with his teeth and chewed hastily. He looked at us with daunting eyes as he swallowed it and threw the crust to the ground. My nose wrinkled as I watched the disposed piece of bread land on a pile of clothes. "It means that I would be jealous of Steven when hell froze over."

My jaw dropped, and I didn't have to glance at Bubbles to know that she reacted the same way.

"I mean, seriously. Maybe I would be jealous of him if she were even attractive, but damn. It takes a lot for me to not be attracted to someone, but she just takes the cake. And she's annoying too. I was in her face just last week, telling her to lay off. She's obsessed with me or something, I swea--"

I didn't even remember flying toward him, but before I knew it, my fist collided with his mouth cutting off his rant. I felt the flesh splitting open underneath the blow, but I wasn't satisfied yet.

I faintly heard Butch shouting at me to stop, but surprisingly, I ignored him.

I wrapped my fingers around his neck, grasped tightly, and a silent, surprised gasp whistled through his throat. I then flung him into an unused, dusty bookshelf across the room, and the wood cracked and splintered under the impact.

It all suddenly made sense. Blossom's weird, lonesome behavior, the sudden need for Steven, her sour behavior towards Butch and Boomer. It all fit together.

I soared after him, and I yanked him up by the collar and threw my fist repeatedly to his face. Brick's expression was pure bewilderment and shock, and I was loving it. I had already gotten at least five or six punches in before someone grasped my elbow from behind. I already knew who it was, and the arm that held Brick's collar wrenched him higher.

"Buttercup," Butch's solemn voice murmured, immediately calming me. "Stop."

I dropped Brick to the ground and my fist released. I lowered my arm slowly and glanced up at Butch, my jaw clenched. "But he deserves it."

A sudden, frustrated growl emitted from Bubbles, and by reaction, I glanced past Butch to look at her. Boomer was restraining her, and she struggled and wiggled against his hold. Her eyes were wild, staring at Brick, and I recognized the expression as one of her rare violent fits. Boomer was obviously winning, but he looked like he was struggling a little. I didn't blame him, seriously. Never screw with Bubbles when she's pissed off.

I turned my attention back to Butch, and his face was hard and stoic.

He finally responded. "I know. And believe me, if anyone should be kicking his ass, it should be Boomer and I." He paused, staring at Brick long and hard. "But he's not even worth it."

I quickly switched my gaze to the bleeding, broken Brick, and the blood running down his face wasn't nearly as crimson as his wide eyes. I had really lost it again. But this time, I wasn't ashamed of it.

He stared back at Butch, and the smug arrogance had cracked the moment I broke his nose. Now, I saw something else.

He finally realized he was being ganged up on. Not even his brothers were on his side anymore. He was vulnerable.

Now it was my turn.

I bent at the waist to look him in the eye. I kept my face as intimidating and menacing as I could possibly muster. He looked uneasy at being near me again, but there was no way he could move away. The remains of the bookshelf surrounded him. "Do _not_ talk about our sister that way. I don't care what she did, or what she wore that day, or _whatever_. _Never_ talk about her that way, or else I will find you. And the next time I beat the living shit out of you, I will make _damn_ sure that Butch won't be here to stop me. Because I wasn't anywhere near finished with you."

Another, much fiercer growl came from Bubbles before she seethed, unhelpfully I might add, "Yeah, and me too, asshole!" She stopped for a moment and turned to Boomer. "Let go of me!" Her tone was so venomous, I nearly flinched. Somehow, though, Boomer didn't seem intimidated.

I continued, the anger radiating from from Bubbles sinking into my voice. "And, _by the way_ , Blossom is beautiful! She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen. How dare you say that she is unattractive? You must be blind. She's gorgeous. She's gorgeous, and you _know_ it!"

"Exactly! She's perfect, she really is! She's perfect and beautiful on the inside and out, and she's our sister and we love her," Bubbles added.

"She's ten times more gorgeous than your bed buddy _._ What's her name again, Katelyn? Yeah, Katelyn. Blossom's prettier than _all_ of the chicks you've nailed. And ten years from now, they'll probably be waiting in the unemployment line with their seven kids from all different dads. But Blossom's pretty _and_ she's a genius. Sure, she has superpowers, but she has a promising future. She's the only girl that I've ever known that will probably be a brain surgeon and find the cure for cancer at the same time.

"And you know what? You _seriously_ screwed her up. You screwed her up bad. She's not the same Blossom she was, and I doubt she ever will be again. You _broke her heart_. Over and over and over again. All because of that idiotic 'plan'." Something flashed across Brick's eyes when I said that, but he remained in his stunned silence.

"Well, that plan was the stupidest thing you could've ever done. And yet, somehow after that, she still didn't give up on you. She still gave you a chance, all up until last week. You screwed it all up!" I was bellowing in his face by now, and Butch held my arms behind me. Brick shrank back from me, his face frozen in a variety of expressions that I was too pissed off to bother to read. "You could have had an amazing girl. She could have belonged to you, and only you! But she's given up. She's moved on! Now she belongs to Steven, which by the way, I'm starting to like him tons more than you right now. You'll never have a chance with her again, and it's all your fault."

Brick's face was now dead.

Bubbles spoke up again, but her voice was much calmer. "I was so sure you guys were made for each other. Boomer and I are, and so are Butch and Buttercup. I was more sure than I've ever been about anything." She paused, her penetrating blue eyes narrowing. "But you don't deserve her."

I slowly stood upright again, and my back was stiff from being bent for so long. "Really, you don't. I hope you're satisfied, because now you've lost her forever."

Butch was still rigid, staring his brother down. Brick, on the other hand, was limp and lifeless. His face remained frozen, and it didn't look like he was going to respond any time soon. Satisfaction began to calm me.

"Guys," Boomer finally spoke up, his voice drenched in disappointment and shame. "Let's go somewhere else."

We all left for the garage and left behind the unresponsive Brick.

* * *

**-Brick's POV-**

The house was empty again, and the silence seemed blaringly loud.

I sat there, unable to move.

My raw wounds throbbed unnaturally, which meant they were in the sped-up process of healing. But the physical pain was nothing.

My entire being ached unbearably. And my wounds' sting was comparatively weak.

_My soul ached._

I didn't know what to do. It felt as if any moment, I would shatter into a thousand pieces. And I knew that nobody would bother to pick them up.

I had been fighting this off for such a long time, and it was emotionally and mentally draining. I was exhausted in every sense of the word.

Every word that Buttercup said was true, and I couldn't deny it anymore. All of it was true. It was so true, I wondered if she read straight through me.

I was a fool. I was a coward.

I was completely hollow inside.

So, for once in my entire life, I didn't know exactly what to do. Whenever I had to lead my brothers through anything, I always knew what to do. They always looked to me for directions. But just then, as looking at them both, I realized.

They looked down on me now.

I begun to gain the feeling back in my muscles, and I looked down at the rubble around me.

Then, I threw the hood of my sweatshirt up and folded my arms over my face.

And the wall I had built of self-deceit, pride and selfishness finally broke.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

The school was nearly bursting at the seams with the amount of excitement. It radiated from everyone I passed in the hallway.

Homecoming was tomorrow, a Saturday, and actually, it was an understatement to say that everyone was looking forward to it.

There had been a few last-minute, public 'proposals', as you could call them. I recalled seeing posters in one hallway put together to form the question, 'Shelby, will you go to Homecoming with me?'

Another one I had witnessed was a gangly freshman boy giving a bouquet of roses to a cute, small sophomore girl. I found it particularly cute, because the boy was as nervous as another boy that was my particular favorite.

Similar things had been happening the entire week, and as adorable as they were, it wasn't hard to grow sick of them.

Thankfully, though, the school day was over.

I had already said my goodbyes to Steven, who had to run errands again. He couldn't come over, but he promised to call me that night to talk about the next day. I couldn't find my sisters in the bustling, after-school crowd, so I just decided to leave early again.

As soon as I left the school building, I began to soar through the air. But, when I realized I was in no hurry, I decided to land on the sidewalk and walk for a little while.

I smiled to myself calmly. The air was cool and somewhat soothing.

I tilted my face upward to gaze at the sky. Though, instead of the cheerful, clear blue I was used to seeing, a deep, monotonous gray replaced it. My smile faded.

I looked ahead of me now, and the cityscape loomed above me. I walked past people, but even as long as I'd lived there, I didn't recognize one face in the crowd. Whether it was a mother pushing a baby stroller, or a businessman talking animatedly on a cell phone, they didn't seem familiar to me.

I walked past an ice cream stand. Normally, I would have bought some right away. But I looked at the rainbow-colored umbrella that shadowed the cart, and suddenly, it didn't appeal to me.

Why was everything so dull?

I decided I'd had enough walking for the time being, so I lifted from the ground and floated back to my home.

#

"What about this one?"

"Hmm…no, I think that one's too formal."

"Right. Well, what about this one?"

"Huh. I…don't really like it. Something about it bugs me."

"Okay, then. This one?"

"Ugh. _Hell_ no."

As Bubbles and Crystal deliberated on Crystal's hairstyle, the rest of us waited patiently and half-watched some random makeover television show.

Crystal, Victoria and Aimee were over at our house, and we were all in the family room. We had decided a few days earlier to pile into our house for the preparation for Homecoming. We created somewhat of a hangout/makeover area, complete with bean bag chairs, food, blow dryers and a nearly ridiculous sized pile of makeup. Professor was on a small business trip, so we had the house to ourselves.

Bubbles turned a few more pages in the hairstyling magazine, looking slightly frustrated. "Crystal, there are not much more hairstyles in here for long hair. If you don't like any of these, I really don't know what to do."

Crystal's forehead furrowed slightly in thought. "Do you have any more magazines?"

Bubbles sighed and shut the one she held in a snapping motion. "Yeah, I do. If you want, you could look through them while I decide on hair for the other girls."

"Sure."

Bubbles led Crystal up the stairs, probably to show her the boxes of magazines I was sure she had. We sort of designated Bubbles as the official hairstylist, since she loved doing hair _and_ she was good at it. I would be doing makeup for everyone, and Aimee was in charge of keeping the dresses and shoes away from the messy, dangerous food.

For now, though, we were lounging in sweats.

I broke the brief silence. "Hey, Aimee?"

She glanced at me soundlessly, her large brown eyes bright, as always.

I smiled down at her. "Where did you put the dresses?"

"In the kitchen, on the table. I figured that would be okay, since we weren't using it or anything."

I nodded and got up from my seat. "Right. Yeah, good idea." I made my way through the kitchen entryway. I didn't know why, but I really wanted to see them all again.

As soon as I stood in front of the pile of the elegant dresses, I lifted the few on top so I could look at mine. Excitement filled me.

It was a soft pink with a tulle, sparkly, sheer overlay, and spaghetti straps. It was short, but not too short. It hit exactly to my knees. It was an empire waist dress, and a wide, light pink bow was tied beneath the bust. As soon as I saw it in the store, I fell in love with it. I was impossibly attached to it already.

I took a quick glance at the other dresses as well. I saw Crystals' crème colored, strapless dress. I hadn't seen it on her, but I was sure it was stunning. Then I looked at Aimee's turquoise one. It had a perky, tutu-style skirt. It was cute, so completely Aimee. Then there was Bubbles' dress. It had spaghetti straps and a slightly low neckline, but it wasn't scandalous at all. The entire dress was covered in soft blue sparkles, and a white ribbon was tied around the small of the waist. It was girly and cute, yet, in a way, retro. I moved on to the next dress, and it was Victoria's deep mauve, mid-length dress. It was strapless and simple, but _very_ elegant. It reminded me of something that a starlet would wear on a red carpet premiere.

I lifted the purple dress, fully expecting to find Buttercup's dress, but instead I was met by the wood of the table.

I blinked at it in confusion. Had Buttercup put her dress elsewhere?

"Buttercup," I turned my head towards the entryway, even though I knew she could hear me if I didn't.

"Yeah?"

"Where's your dress?"

There was a slight pause, and at first, I thought she hadn't heard me. I was about to repeat myself when she responded.

"I'm…not going."

I dropped the dresses back on the table and rushed to the entryway. I stared at her in disbelief. "…Excuse me?"

She looked back at me, shrugging casually. "I'm not going."

Even Aimee and Victoria gawked at her, jaws dropped. Buttercup didn't seem at all bothered, though.

"Why?" I asked.

She sighed, shrugging again. "Butch…didn't really ask me. So I think we're ditching."

My jaw dropped. Why wasn't she upset? I verbalized the thought aloud. "Why aren't you upset?"

"I would be really upset!" Aimee loudly exclaimed, throwing her small hands into the air dramatically. Victoria didn't speak, but she nodded her head with fervent enthusiasm.

Buttercup threw a hand in the air dismissively. "I'm just not. Whatever." She shook her head. "School dances are lame, anyway."

I opened my mouth to disagree with her, but at that moment, Bubbles and Crystal came down the stairs again. Well, Crystal did, but Bubbles levitated behind her, carrying a large box under each arm. I ran to the side of the stairs. "Bubbles!" I peered at her from under the side rail.

"What?" She glanced down at me, irritation on her face.

"Buttercup isn't going!"

Poor Crystal had to dart out of the way when the two big boxes fell from Bubbles' grasp. They nearly knocked her down the rest of the stairs, and magazines poured down the stairs like water.

"What?!" Bubbles screamed this, her voice high-pitched with anger. "Why?"

Aimee piped in. "Butch didn't ask her because they're ditching."

Bubbles stared at Buttercup as we all had, hands on her hips, and Crystal seemed just as shocked.

Buttercup shrunk back defensively. "Don't look at me like that."

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Bubbles rebutted.

"Well…cause, I kind of thought…you know, that he could have waited until the last moment to ask me, or something." She shook her head dismissively. "But, whatever. I don't care. We'll probably just hang here."

Bubbles and I exchanged a look. We both knew behind her casual front, she actually _did_ care. It was probably bothering her to no end. But, we didn't say anything.

"Okay, whatever." My blonde sister decided to end it. "I have a job to start, anyway. We only have six hours left until the boys get here."

Apparently, Bubbles' job would take quite a while.

#

Four hours later, and the majority of our hairstyles had been completed.

She sat me down first, since my hair was the longest in length and would naturally take the longest amount of time. We both agreed on loose, voluminous waves with the top half loosely pulled back. Now I finally knew how she managed to look like a supermodel everyday.

I _loved_ my hair. It looked so soft and angelic, so touchable.

But I knew better than to do that, because Bubbles told me that if I touched it, she would tie my hands behind my back. With the nearest object she could find, in fact, whether it was a scarf or the neck of the tall floor lamp we had in our living room. While she threatened me, she nearly used an entire container of Dove hairspray on my hair. The odor was so strong that we had to open a few windows.

After that, I decided to put on my dress, just so I could get used to the feeling of it and feel more comfortable. I kept it on.

Bubbles did Victoria's hair next, and she decided that since Victoria's dress was so beautiful and elegant, that slick-straight, shiny hair would go with it nicely. After she was finished flat ironing, she put a black rose clip on one side of her head.

After that, Aimee's hair was fixed. Bubbles thought that a cute, playful updo would suit her best, and she was completely right. After the hairstyle was in place, Bubbles put a few clips in with soft, white feathers on them.

She was now curling her own hair, and each curl turned away from her face.

As for Crystal, she was still sitting on the ground, buried up to her waist in hair and clothing magazines. If she didn't hurry up and choose, she would have to go to Homecoming as-is.

All had been going so pretty smoothly so far.

" _Crap_ ," Bubbles spat suddenly. We all turned our eyes to her, startled. "I just realized I'm out of hairspray."

Gee. I wonder how.

"Oh!" Crystal exclaimed excitedly, standing from the sea of magazines on the floor. "I have two cans at my house! I could run and go get it!"

Bubbles' face brightened. "Okay. Actually, I'll come with you. Your parents aren't home, right?"

"Right."

Aimee stood from her beanbag chair. "Can I come too?"

Victoria stood as well and added in a much more subdued voice, "And…me, too?"

Crystal smiled. "Sure. You guys haven't been over in a while, anyway."

They all headed out the door and across the lawn to Crystal's house and I took my place on the couch next to Buttercup. Evidently, the makeover show was having some sort of marathon, because it was still on. So, we watched it in silence. Except for the instances when Buttercup would make fun of the contestants, and I would defend them.

After twenty minutes, the other girls still weren't back. When I was about to ask Buttercup where she thought they were, she spoke up before me.

"Hey, Bloss."

I gave her a small smile. "Yeah?"

She returned the smile, but in some way, it looked different from the way mine felt. She turned so she could face me better. "Are…you okay?"

I wasn't sure how to answer that. It was a bit random for her to ask that. Was it a trick question? Or was it that type of question where you feel obligated to answer the same way every time?

But I decided to give her the easy answer. "Yeah, I am. Why?"

She looked at me for a moment, as if scrutinizing me. "Are you sure?"

I hesitated now. Why was she asking me this? "…Yes…I am." I paused. "Are _you_ okay?"

She seemed to realize that she was confusing me, so her face relaxed slightly. "Yeah, I was just…never mind."

We continued to watch the show for another five minutes, and it had been silent until the doorbell suddenly rang. Buttercup and I turned our faces to look at the door in confusion. Was Bubbles ringing the doorbell?

"Why is she…do you think she forgot her house key?" I asked Buttercup, my eyes still locked on the door.

"I don't know," she replied, frowning. "But the door's not locked."

We continued to sit and stare at the door, completely befuddled, and after about a minute, it rang again.

"Well, maybe she just forgot it wasn't locked, or something." I stood, making my way around the end of the couch.

As I approached the door, Buttercup added, "Maybe it's someone else."

I turned the doorknob, still fully expecting my sister and our friends on the other side. I honestly didn't see a reason why anybody else would be at the door. It couldn't have been the guys; they weren't supposed to be there for another two hours. I didn't expect it to be anyone else. And that was my downfall.

Because Brick Jojo was on the other side of that door.

 _Slam_.

I leaned against the closed, black wooden door. My eyes squeezed shut. The world swirled around me, and I swore I could feel the house tremble for a moment after I had thrown the door shut.

"Blossom?" Buttercup's startled voice came to me from the couch. "Who was it? Are you okay?"

I didn't answer her. Overwhelming dread hit me full force, and I as much as I tried to shake it off, it wasn't going away.

He was…here?

At my _house_?

_Why?_

I didn't know what to feel at first. I knew I was blisteringly angry. I was completely surprised and bewildered. I was…I didn't know. There was so much going on inside me, I could hardly account for the majority of it.

But I was _completely_ and _utterly_ , one-thousand percent sure that I was angry.

So why did I open that damn door again?

And he was still standing there in all of his Rowdyruff glory.

But he wasn't as I was used to seeing him. He was already dressed for Homecoming, complete with a classy, black suit with red pinstripes. The tie underneath matched the pinstripes, and everything was sharp and clean cut. Even his trademark red trucker hat was gone from his head, but that wasn't what shocked me.

His long hair was gone.

It wasn't completely shaved off, but it was shorter. It could have easily been said that the entire elbow-length, copper-y ponytail was chopped off. Now, all that was left was the remains, and it fell to just under his angular jaw line.

He looked glorious. And I hated myself for thinking so.

I tore my eyes away, fixing them to the nearly brown grass of the front lawn. I couldn't permit myself to look at him any longer. I just couldn't.

* * *

**-Brick's POV-**

I couldn't believe I was actually doing this.

I couldn't believe I was actually trying. I knew she would never in a million years take me back, or even forgive me.

She had absolutely no reason to whatsoever. And I knew that, there was no question that it was true.

So why even bother?

I froze on the walkway to her front door and just stood there. What was I doing?

I should just go home. I should just forget about even trying, I was a fool.

I fidgeted with the rose between my hands.

Yeah, I was a fool. But I had to try.

I rang the doorbell and waited. And waited. Nobody came to the door.

Was there anyone home? I could have sworn that I heard the TV on inside, so I was sure there was.

I decided to ring it once more, but as soon as I did, I lost my nerve. I turned and began to walk down the path again, but then I heard the doorknob turn.

I stopped and turned again, moving my hands behind my back. I thought I would feel better if someone answered the door, but instead, I nearly broke into a run into the street. I didn't, but for a moment, I honestly considered it. I didn't think I would be this terrified.

But the moment that the door opened to reveal the person, I suddenly felt like I would fall to my knees. Because there she was.

I was overwhelmed with everything. I was anxious, amazed, floored, and terrified all at once. I wasn't sure which emotion to bring out, and just as I had begun to think coherently again, the only thing I could see was the black paint of the door.

She slammed the door as soon as she saw me.

I stood there, rigid. I couldn't feel anything. My eyes stared ahead. She really did hated me. She refused to even see me.

So that was it. She was gone, gone forever.

My brothers hated me, and I had no family other than that. I had no friends. And the only person that gave my life purpose despised me, and it was _my_ fault.

And when my thoughts had taken an even deeper, darker fall, the door opened, and she was there again.

She came back.

Now, at that moment, I could look at her. I mean, really, truly _look_ at her. She was captivating.

She was in her Homecoming dress already, and the pale pink mingled flirtatiously against her milky, fair complexion. It fit her figure perfectly, and it made her look more soft and feminine then she already was. Her gleaming, cherubic red hair twisted in soft, cascading curls down her shoulders and back. She was staring back at me, her flawless face blank, and her rosy pink eyes were clouded.

Then she removed her eyes from me.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

We both stood there in silence for at least another minute. When I finally found my voice again, I spoke.

"…Why are you here?"

My tone was blank, unfeeling. And that was exactly how I wanted it to be.

Out of my peripheral vision, I saw him shift and look downwards. It was then that I noticed he kept his hands behind his back, but I disregarded it. It shouldn't have mattered to me anyway.

Behind me, I head Buttercup shift on the couch, and I felt her eyes watching me. I ignored that too.

He finally replied. "I…don't know."

His answer made me look up at him again, in spite of myself. My face felt blank.

'I don't know'? That was his answer? What kind of idiot was he?

I blinked once and looked away again, and just as I spun on my heel to go back in the house, his voice sounded again.

* * *

**-Brick's POV-**

She kept her eyes glued to the grass in the lawn, seemingly unable to look at me.

My heart throbbed painfully, and I took in a shaky breath. But at least she was still here.

She spoke, and her delicate voice was monotonous. "…Why are you here?"

The tone of her voice stabbed into me, and I turned my eyes to focus on the classy, shiny black shoes I was wearing. The hands behind my back fidgeted again.

Why was I here? Not even I had the answer to that question.

"I…don't know."

I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth, because I felt her look at me again. Her eyes penetrated into the side of my face brutally.

And then she turned towards the door again.

Desperation and apprehension washed through me. No. I couldn't let her leave. Not like that. I had to set things straight, at least. I lunged at her, and I almost grabbed her, but I decided against it at the last second. I uttered one word.

"Wait."

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

"Wait."

Why did I stop when he told me to? Why did I feel obligated to still listen to him? I still faced the opening of the house, and Buttercup stared at me, her eyes wide.

"I…I do know. I just…don't know where to start."

I stiffened immediately. "Start what?" I said cautiously.

His voice was so smooth and gentle. "Please turn around."

It was fake. It was all fake. I had to force the thought over and over again, so I wouldn't believe him, wouldn't listen to him. I couldn't let myself do that.

I still faced the house, ice in my veins. Why couldn't he just leave, and put me out of this misery?

"Please." He repeated.

My body responded to his command once more, and against my will, I was facing him again. My original plan was to avoid looking at him directly again, but when I noticed something held out in front of him, I had to look. But as soon as I did, I wished I hadn't.

It was a single red rose with small, delicate baby's breath around it. And a ribbon was tied around them. A red ribbon. It looked like it had been stained with something.

And it was _my_ ribbon.

I could feel the dread rising in my stomach, coaxing the darkness and anguish to escape from the place where I though I shut it out for good. It was crawling out, making its way to the surface.

I had to escape again. I had to hide with the hopes of it never finding me again.

But it always did.

I attempted to shove the ache away with the anger buried in me. I stared at the flower wordlessly, and several long moments dragged on.

* * *

**-Brick's POV-**

She stared at my gift with angry, bitter eyes. Those weren't the eyes I remembered, the ones I'd seen every time I closed my eyes at night. My stomach wrenched, and I clenched my jaw.

I held the rose out further.

* * *

**-Blossom's POV-**

And then he lifted his arm further towards me, willing me to take it from his grasp.

I brought my hand out and slapped the plant out of his hand. It fell to the ground, directly in front of my bare feet. I slowly dragged my eyes to his face, and his burgundy red eyes forcibly took mine.

I clenched my teeth, I lifted my left foot from the cement walkway and slammed it onto the flower. The cement cracked, and my heel ground the plant into the crevices of it. The sharp edges and thorns scraped against my skin, but I disregarded the minor stings.

Brick's eyes had long left mine, and he watched my foot destroy his gift. His eyes lingered there for a moment, and then lifted to mine again.

I watched him back, and ferocity continued to flow through my veins. It made my skin itch, made my head throb, and made my face burn. I was so angry; I didn't know what I wanted to do to him first.

I wanted to strangle him. I wanted to squeeze every drop of life out of him.

Clearly, he was trying to woo me, for some reason. And with a rose. _A rose_. Completely weak.

I folded my arms, and my face formed the fiercest glower I could manage. Somehow, I was pretty sure both of us knew what was going on without really saying anything.

I broke the prolonged silence. "If that's your way of apologizing, I hope you enjoy disappointment."

He seemed slightly taken aback by my comment, and a few moments passed before he replied. "It's not."

My voice rose. "It's not _what?_ "

"It's not an apology, because I know I don't deserve your forgiveness."

My answer was curt. "No. You don't. Now go back to your girlfriend." I turned and stomped a few steps into the doorway.

* * *

Her words rung in my ears, and they cut me like knives.

And as she turned to leave again, I felt the desperate need for her once more.

* * *

"She's not mine. And I am _never_ going back to her."

I froze cold for a moment, and then spun around and stomped towards him again. I made myself look him in the eyes, made sure I looked menacing.

"Oh, aren't you? Why? Making room for another girl, are we? Getting tired of nailing dancer ass?"

He flinched at my words, backing away slightly. I followed his steps exactly. I wanted to intimidate him as much as possible.

" _No_. And I never slept with her, by the way. I never slept with any of those girls."

"Oh my _God_. You are so full of bullshit, Brick." His name stung my tongue.

"It's _not_ bullshit." His voice was sharper than before.

"Yes, it is."

" _No_ , Blossom!"

My throat began to burn when my name left his mouth. A thousand curses rushed through my head, trying to push the incoming tears away. I would not show him my weakness. He didn't deserve my tears.

* * *

Her face twisted in agony when I said this, and this nearly made me stop. But I kept going.

* * *

"It's _not_. Because I would never, _ever_ do that to you."

Abruptly, something inside of me burst, and everything rushed out at once. It was too late to hide. It was too late to run away. There was no going back now.

My hand clenched into a fist and lifted, striking him across his cheek. A frustrated, tearless sob left my throat, and I knew the tears would come soon. I lunged toward him, shoving him away from me twice in a row.

* * *

She threw a punch at my face, and before I could react, she pushed me roughly. I staggered back for a moment, a bit too shocked and startled to do anything. But I let her. I deserved it.

She began to scream at me.

* * *

"'Because you would never do that to me'? Why the _hell_ would you say that to me? That is the biggest, most impossible lie someone has ever said to my face. Why _wouldn't_ you do that to me? You're a villain, you've always hated me, and you always will. You wanted to destroy me? Well, guess what. You got your wish."

I had never been so infuriated, so overwhelmed and helpless. He was trying to make a fool out of me _again_.

And now I was saying words I didn't want to. Telling him things that I never wanted him to know.

* * *

Her words tore into me, but as she began to cry, it increased tenfold. As I watched the tears roll down her face and tumble out of her eyes, I hated myself even more.

* * *

My throat constricted as I tried to force the words out at him through the sobs. "You _destroyed_ me. Okay? You finally did it. You finally destroyed me. Just like you've always wanted, right? And it was in the _worse_ way possible. You didn't even try to spare me. You did everything you could to bring me down, and you have, okay? You have."

* * *

I destroyed her. I ruined her.

And I knew that.

But hearing it come from her was worse than it could have ever sounded from someone else.

* * *

"Blossom!" He bellowed, and grabbed me by the forearms. "Stop!"

" _Don't touch me!_ " I screamed so loud, I swore I could feel something in my throat tear. I yanked out of his grasp and pushed him away again. " _Don't fucking touch me!"_

"Listen to me!" His voice was equally as loud. "Dammit. Just _listen_ to me!"

"Why should I?"

"Because that's why I'm here!"

* * *

I had to tell her why I did everything, make her understand. But I didn't expect it to make things any better, because I knew it wouldn't anyway.

* * *

I walked away from him and into the dry, dead grass. It tickled and itched my bare heels. I had to get away from him. The proximity was making the churning, searing pain eat me slowly from the inside out.

He continued to speak as he trailed after me. "That is _not_ why I put you through this, Blossom, and you know that."

I spun on him. "Do _not_ tell me what I do and don't know. And the only thing I _know_ is that I'm completely right. You despise me, and you always will." The sobs made my throat convulse, making my voice crack on the word 'despise'.

His face lit with anger, his eyes burning and scorching me just by looking at them. "Shut up. Just _stop_ it, okay?"

"Stop _what_?"

"Why the hell would I hate you? What would _ever_ give me a reason to hate you?"

* * *

I can't believe she thought _I_ hated her.

I knew my behavior a week ago could have told her that, but I couldn't believe she actually believed my act. Hell, I'd thought that it had been so badly acted that she would have dismissed it completely.

After what happened that incredible night, I could never speak to her like that and mean it.

And I thought she knew that.

* * *

I hooted a humorless laugh. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you're a villain and I'm a heroine? Isn't that enough of a reason?"

"First off, I'm not a villain anymore. And second, that never stopped me before!"

"What the hell do you mean; you're not a villain anymore?"

"It means exactly how it sounds! I'm not a damn villain, okay? I'm not going to steal any more, I'm not going to kill people or break the law…I'm not a villain!"

"You can't just decide so suddenly! Why would you stop being a villain? You've been like that your whole life! It's not logical!"

"It _is_ logical, because it's because of you."

My eyes widened considerably at the nature of his comment, and then I snarled at again and threw my fist against his shoulder as hard as I could.

He held up his hands defensively, eyebrows raised. "Holy _shit!_ Would you stop hitting me?"

My scream sounded nearly hysterical this time. But I didn't care. "I'll stop hitting you when you stop making up stupid, illogical lies!"

"Why would they be lies? My brothers did the exact thing for your sisters, so why the hell does that seem so unbelievable?"

I shook my head unyieldingly and turned my back to him, but he put his hand on my shoulder and turned me to face him again. I forced his hand away and turned my face away, hiding my tears from him. I was crumbling. I was falling apart, falling to pieces right at his feet.

Why was this happening again?

I thought everything was fine. I thought I had brought myself so far.

Why, when something in my life involved him, did it always get destroyed?

He continued, and I listened unwillingly. "Blossom, you have to know. I only went through with this plan because I felt like I had to protect you."

"Protect me from _what_? My heart getting broken?"

He didn't answer, and I lifted my eyes to his face again. He was the one to look away this time. I shook my head slowly. "You're kidding me. You've got to be kidding me, Brick. Don't tell me that was seriously the reason behind this whole thing."

"That's not just it." His voice was low and quiet.

"Oh, really? Well, _please_ tell me why else, because I'm _sure_ it will make this sound more reasonable."

"I was protecting you from _me."_

* * *

The ache that ate me up inside and tore me apart was surfacing, and I couldn't hide it anymore. I could feel it on my face, in my voice. It deepened in tone with the tears I smothered.

But the only thing at that moment that kept my heart beating was her, standing in front of me. Even if she hated me, I still needed her.

* * *

I stopped cold. His voice was so full of agony that the urge to yell and scream and throw insults at him just dwindled away.

"I'm just not good enough for you, Blossom. I knew I could never make you happy. I could never live up to your standard." He lifted his eyes to mine, and they were dull and detached. "I'm trash. I'm a lowlife. I'm a complete jackass. And even though I have _no right_ to continue loving you so much, I could never stop. And I knew from the moment that I told you that I loved you that I would never be good enough. It was for _your_ good."

And here I thought he would never have that power over me again. Here I thought that I was over him, and he was out of my life for good. I thought I had moved on. I thought I would be fine without him.

And yet, his words made my heart heavy and my stomach heave. Something tore through me again, and this time, I knew it wasn't just my pain that tore through me.

It was his.

"And so I kept pushing you away, trying to make you hate me. I wanted you to hate me with all that you had, because I thought you hating me would be easier than being with you and making you miserable."

"Stop it!" My words fumbled and tripped out of my mouth, constricted by sobs. "Just stop."

His words were making me miserable. And the misery wasn't from me. It came through his pain riddled, miserable eyes, into mine and pounded straight into my soul. Every part of me ached.

"Stop." I took a stop closer to him. "You're wrong."

* * *

I knew it. I knew she would never accept the truth.

She was stopping me again, and I knew that it was almost over. She was going to tell me to leave, walk into that house, close that door and never think anything of me again.

She would move on, and I would be stuck with myself again, wallowing in misery.

What would I do?

I couldn't just live my life without her completely. I couldn't even imagine a life like that.

* * *

His face was still an empty void. "Wrong about what?" The question was half-hearted.

"You're wrong." The words spilled out of me. "Because, the only thing that made me miserable was being away from you."

He looked at me for a moment, and then shook his head dismissively. "I don't believe that."

* * *

Of course I didn't believe it. It made no sense.

I was the source of all of her misery. So, why would being away from me make it worse? If anything, it would benefit her to stay away from me.

* * *

I felt a sudden tug at my soul, like a small thread on it was pulled tightly. It began to lead me forward, and I didn't feel in control. It pulled me cautiously and slowly toward him, and even when I stood right in front of him, the string continued to pull. But, it felt much looser.

Like the distance between the object it was tied to had been closed. Like the object was right in front of it.

* * *

She lifted off of her feet and drifted towards me gracefully. She watched me, and strands of hair blew in her face, but she didn't seem to notice.

As she came closer to me, I noticed her eyes weren't as dull as moments before.

I watched her back, bewitched.

* * *

I looked at him. I mean, really, _really_ looked at him. It was as if I had been blinded in a nearly fatal accident, and by some miracle, I could see again. I saw everything with new, fresh eyes. I gazed up at his scar, then back into his eyes. Scars and darkness screamed at me from inside of them.

I wanted to fix it.

Then words began to tumble out, leaving me without any thought of them beforehand. "When you left, I died. I wasn't myself anymore. I was _empty_. I was suffering. It was single-handedly, the most awful thing I've ever been through. My world fell apart. I thought I would never make it. And I didn't. I'm still broken now."

Brick's face was still uncomprehending. "Why…but why? Why were you broken?"

My breathing was irregular, my heart pounded, and this time; I actually thought the words through before saying them aloud. And I realized I absolutely meant them.

"Because I needed you more than I thought I was capable of."

His eyes grew and his mouth opened to say more. I went on before he could.

"And I still need you. I need you right this very second. And I know that if you were to leave me right now, I wouldn't survive. I would _never_ survive."

* * *

Maybe she was crazy. Or maybe she was sick, and she had a fever.

Those were the only logical explanations as to why she would _ever_ say those things.

But maybe I was crazy too.

Because as much as I realized that her words shouldn't have made sense, hearing them was better than heaven. My heart thundered when I finally realized the chance I was so undeservingly being given.

And I grasped onto it.

* * *

Then his arms were around me, and I fell into him. His scent was better, much more heavenly than I had remembered.

He buried his face into my hair. "All I want is for you to be happy."

I pulled my face from his chest and looked him directly in the eyes. They weren't empty anymore, and they smoldered. I nearly held my breath, but I had to answer him first.

"Good, then stay with me. Because, I'm so in love with you, Brick. And even though you have the power to hurt me more than anyone else, you also make me happier than anything."

I felt something release inside of me as soon as the words left my mouth. Not only because of the power and meaning of them, but also because of the undeniable truth behind them.

It sounded truer than even the simplest truth, and I realized that maybe I'd known it all along.

He brought a hand to the left side of my face and grasped it, not softly, but not harshly either. "You love me?" His eyes incinerated and melted and penetrated into mine so mercilessly, I inhaled a small gasp.

My reply was fervent and desperate. " _Yes_ , I love you. Okay? I _love_ you."

Before I could comprehend what was happening, he was kissing me. His lips were on mine, capturing mine so gently, yet so longingly. I pulled myself closer to him, my hands grasping at his back. I then stood up on my toes to wrap my arms around his neck, and his arms pulled me even closer to him, lifting me off of the ground.

He pulled away slightly for a moment, only to whisper, his lips moving against mine, "I love you." His voice was saturated with so much undeniable adoration and emotion; and it sounded more beautiful than any music. And he kissed my mouth again.

I shook and trembled, and I felt his heart pounding with the same inhumanly fast pace as mine. And in that moment, I just knew.

I could try to fool myself and live my entire life without him. I could go on for the rest of my days, my numb and destroyed heart shuttering, but not fully beating. I could drag the disintegrated pieces of myself around, shoving them at different boys in hopes of them healing me.

But only Brick could put the pieces back together again.

Sure, it would take time.

It wouldn't be easy.

We would have bumps along the road, have awful fights.

I knew that sometimes he would annoy the hell out of me.

But I would go through it all willingly, as long as it was with him.

Because now, I understood. Real love was like that.

It was wonderful, incredible, all-consuming, life-changing, and sometimes it hurt like _hell_.

But it would be worth all of it.

His irresistible lips trailed up my cheekbone, pressed into my forehead, then down the bridge of my nose and kissed it also.

He kissed either cheek tenderly, then my lips again, and then he lifted my chin slowly with his hand as he kissed down my jaw line.

I tried to breathe evenly, but my breath hitched and my lungs shuddered.

He pulled away slowly. Once his face was level with mine again, though, I put my hands at the back of his head stubbornly and pulled his lips to mine once again. I lowered my hands, dragging my fingers through his locks, and cupped his beautiful, masculine face.

We finally pulled away, breathing heavy and labored, and then we just stood there, gazing at each other. I took every detail of his face in, re-memorizing everything.

However, the sound of sniffing and swooning from the next yard over interrupted our slight trance.

I tore my gaze from Brick- quite unwillingly, I have to add- and looked towards the source of the noise.

Sure enough, there Aimee, Bubbles, Buttercup, Victoria and Crystal all sat on Crystal's front lawn, watching us. A tissue box sat in front of Bubbles, and there wasn't one dry eye among them.

Well, except for maybe Buttercup, but I wasn't entirely sure. Her black hair covered her face, possibly with reason. She never did like crying in public.

And where they got the tissue box on such short notice, I had no clue.

Crystal, of course, was sobbing the loudest. "Oh my _God!_ That was better than any movie!"

My jaw dropped, and I took a quick glance at Brick. His face was nothing shy of amusement. He set me down on the ground again, but his grip didn't loosen.

I tried to be angry and feel invaded and shocked all at the same time, because I knew I should have. But at a moment like that, I just couldn't.

We both burst out laughing.

#

After everyone settled down, we headed back into the house again, Brick included.

The relaxed atmosphere had disappeared, because unfortunately, everything we'd been through had set us quite behind in time. We only had one hour left.

Everyone was scrambling around the house, trying to find dresses, shoes, and an available mirror. I had to step up and work double time, applying makeup on each face as gorgeously _and_ as quickly as I could.

And among all the insanity and craziness, I nearly forgot all about the dates.

The dates.

I was in the middle of fixing Crystal's eyeliner when I came upon this realization. I froze completely. She immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"What? What's wrong?"

I whispered, but the entire room fell quiet at Crystal's panicked question.

"Steven."

The following silence rang in my ears.

#

Everyone was finished getting ready, and we all looked stunning, but even then, I couldn't feel a sense of accomplishment.

I couldn't _believe_ I had forgotten about Steven.

I was so caught up with Brick and I that he hadn't even crossed my mind.

I sat on the ground, my arms wrapped around my knees tightly. Bubbles sat beside me, her arms wrapped around my shoulders.

"Bloss," Her voice was gentle and consoling, but it didn't help me any. "You need to do this."

My throat tightened.

"I don't want to hurt him. He's going to hate me."

It was silent for a few moments, and then Brick sat on the other side of me. As if taking a wordless cue, Bubbles let go of me. Brick gazed into my eyes, and they were soft. But they were also slightly wounded.

"Blossom." He took my hand and planted a small kiss on it. I swallowed hard. "Don't feel like you have to do this. You don't have to."

I grasped his hand. "It's the only way I can have you."

He shook his head. "But if this is hard for you, I would rather you not do it. I'm not worth it."

I frowned at him. "Of course you're worth it. I'll always want you."

Suddenly, the doorbell sounded. I inhaled slowly and deeply and exhaled drudgingly. I squeezed Brick's hand, and he squeezed back.

Victoria slowly opened the door and invited the boys in. It was only Steven and Jack, Crystal's date, because Butch and Boomer hadn't arrived yet. I heard Steven's gentle voice thank Victoria, and then he stepped into the house. He looked very handsome, his suit white with black pinstripes, and the pink tie he wore fastened around his neck matched my dress exactly. Guilt wrenched through me.

He seemed to immediately sense the tension in the room, because he stiffened visibly. Then, his eyes found me. Found me sitting on the ground, looking upset and nervous, holding another guy's hand.

And the look on his face killed me.

He just stared at first, his eyes switching from my face, to his face, to our interlocked hands, to my face again. And then he spoke.

"…Why is he here?" His voice was strained and quiet.

My voice caught behind the lump in my throat, and I couldn't answer him. I just stared at him with wide eyes, jaw working, throat stinging, and feeling like scum.

I vaguely noticed everyone else, except for Brick; silently pile out the front door.

He only waited for a reply for a few moments, and when he got that I wasn't going to answer him, he nodded slowly and solemnly.

"I see."

I felt disgusting. I felt like some bitch that led him on and then cheated on him for no apparent reason, and I was. The hurt and emptiness in his eyes dug into me, and I felt lower than dirt.

When he turned to leave, I stood quickly and unsteadily, and the tears that brimmed my eyes began to spill onto my cheeks.

"Wait," I reached a hand out to him dumbly, knowing that he wouldn't take it. "Please wait, Steve."

He turned back to me slowly, his eyes so clouded and dark, I hardly recognized them.

"Yes?" His voice was flat.

"Please listen. I…" I couldn't look away from the empty depths of his eyes, they were like black holes. I sniffed and tried to swipe my tears away, knowing full well that I wasn't the one that deserved to be crying at that moment. "I never intended to do this to you. Ever."

He didn't answer me, and his eyes broke from mine.

"It's just that…it wouldn't be fair to you if I kept leading you on like this."

His face crumpled when I said 'leading you on'.

I spoke quicker, desperate to stop any flow of tears from him. I couldn't take it if I made him cry. "Don't get me wrong, Steve. I _do_ love you."

He glanced up at me.

"Just not the way you love me. And I tried to. I really tried, but-" I cut my voice off, looking down at my fidgeting hands. "I…couldn't, because a while ago, I already gave myself…my _whole_ self…to someone else."

I looked at Steven's face again, and he was eyeing Brick with an unreadable expression on his face.

I continued. "Please understand, Steve. I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry."

He looked at me again, and his mouth formed a thin line. Then, he nodded slowly. This brewed a new, small hope inside of me. I waited a moment before I spoke again.

"Are we still friends?"

His face then became smooth, all stress lines gone. But as I watched his clouded eyes, nothing in them changed. And what he did next made my heart heavy in a whole new, different kind of way.

He shook his head. "No, Blossom, I don't believe we are."

I heard the words, but I didn't want to believe I heard them. But I should have expected them in the first place.

He looked past me to Brick and looked at him with the solemn, straight face that I didn't recognize. "Take care of her."

And then he walked out the door.

I watched and everyone else watched as his black truck backed out of the driveway, and I saw Steven through the windows. He didn't look back toward the house once as he sped away.

#

Needless to say, I wasn't much in the mood for partying, but Bubbles insisted it would make me feel better. So, I ended up going to Homecoming after all.

When we first showed up, I wasn't up to doing much. Brick was patient with me, and he stood with me while I sipped on punch. He didn't leave me once.

Even when hordes of other girls came up to ask him to dance, he denied them all. Each time, when they would ask why and eye me skeptically, he would wrap his arms around me from behind and plant a gentle kiss on my temple. After that he would glance at them, a smirk curving his lips.

"I'm no longer available."

The girls' jaws would drop, or they would scoff and roll their eyes while they stomped off in their stiletto, high-heeled shoes. Priceless.

And during most of the entire dance, Katelyn stood in a tight group with the rest of Princess's entourage and they would gawk with jealous glares at me.

Also priceless.

And I'm not going to lie; I got great enjoyment out of it. It had begun to lift my mood a little.

I tried to force Steven from my mind, but even when I would succeed, he would come back into my head within minutes.

That is, until Brick asked me if I wanted to dance. I was extremely hesitant at first.

It didn't help that practically everyone was watching us so closely already, but the current song wasn't a slow one. It was a fast paced, fast-moving kind of song. And that made me nervous.

Thoughts of that night at Electric Blue invaded my head again. Somehow, though, looking back on it now, that could have been the least of my worries.

I actually found it quite ridiculous now.

It was just dancing. It was a bit of a secret, sure, but not the monumental, change-your-life kind of secret.

So, the moment I came up with my answer, I was completely sure of it.

"Sure."

Evidently, dancing on a dance floor was more nerve-wracking then dancing by myself in my room.

I was petrified.

I stood there awkwardly in the sea of moving bodies around us, and for a moment I wanted to run off and go back to my punch corner. I glanced down at the familiar red ribbon tied around my wrist, and my fingers smoothed over the slick material.

Then, the song's beat picked up.

And my body began to move on its own.

And I didn't even realize it until I looked up at Brick's face, seeing his mixed expression of blatant surprise and astonishment. He stared down at me.

"You didn't tell me you could move like that."

I laughed, though it wasn't a real laugh, it was more of a nervous laugh. I was a little self-conscious that he was watching at me so intensely. But it didn't hinder my movements. "I didn't think you would care."

He shook his head, chuckling to himself.

Then, I got a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find Bubbles right behind me, but she wasn't with who I expected.

"Buttercup!" Genuine excitement was in my voice. "You're here?"

Sure enough, she was, and in a complete Homecoming outfit too. She wore a strapless black, lacy dress with a corset as the bodice, and black, ankle-length, leather boots were on her feet. She wore a deep green, cropped leather biker jacket over the dress. Black eye makeup was smeared on her eyes, the same amount as usual, and her hair was usual too.

She smiled at me, and it was a lot brighter than I would expect from Buttercup. "Yeah. I'm here."

I gave her an eager and quick hug, dancing bodies jostling into either of us. But, neither of us really cared. "How? I thought Butch didn't ask you?"

She shook her head. "He didn't, but then he showed up at our house, really late, going, 'Why aren't you ready?' And it turned out that he thought we could just show up, and he didn't buy tickets." She rolled her eyes.

Brick came up closer behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I believe every word of that."

She chuckled slightly and gave Brick a hesitant, polite smile. Brick told me about their 'confrontation', and now I could tell it would take her quite a while to trust him. I didn't blame her. "Yeah, but you know." She shrugged nonchalantly. "We just snuck in."

Normally I would have scolded her for doing such a thing, but I didn't feel like it then. I just wanted to enjoy the moment.

Brick shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I even reminded him to buy the tickets."

Buttercup scoffed then, glancing to wherever Butch was. "He's such an idiot." But her gaze was lingering, and her face softened.

Soon after that, Brick went to talk to his brothers by the punch table, where Butch was trying to chug the punch straight from the bowl. My sisters and I danced together, and after a few songs, my sisters stared at me the exact way Brick had.

I stopped for a second, feeling slightly self conscious again. I watched them with wide eyes. "…What?"

My sisters exchanged a quick glance.

"Blossom!" Bubbles' voice was bewildered. She looked at me again, and she seemed kind of stunned. "How did you learn to dance like that?"

"Yeah, man." Buttercup nodded quickly. She looked at me like I had just won a national dance competition. "You're so good!"

I stopped to realize their words for a moment. I couldn't believe it. "Really?"

"Totally! You need to teach me how to dance like that." The way Bubbles said it, it didn't seem like a 'just to be nice' lie. She seemed truthful.

And happiness filled me.

My fears of ever being too weird, too out of the ordinary, and too apart from what people expected me to be were all wiped away. I didn't care anymore.

Because I knew that the people that meant most in my life would accept me anyway.

The rest of the night, Brick didn't leave my side once, and that night turned out to be much more amazing than I would have thought it would be. Not only was it because I had the best time with my friends and family around me, but I came to a realization that I would have never come to if I hadn't gone with them.

I felt like myself again.

#

After the dance, Professor returned from his business trip. He asked us how Homecoming went, and pretty much all we said was, "Fine."

And, "Fun!"

And, "Awesome!"

He seemed like he was under the impression that he didn't think we were telling him the whole truth, but we didn't elaborate further than that. We decided we would tell him the need-to-know things later on.

That night, Brick snuck into my bedroom window.

Even with all of the time we'd spent together that day, it didn't feel like it was enough. I felt like even if I could spend the rest of eternity with him, it wouldn't be enough.

We talked about everything we could, trying our best to make up for lost time. He held me, and our lips touched every chance we got.

I watched his every move, marveled at them, and wondered to myself how I ever thought I could live without him.

And at one point, we fell asleep on my bed. I didn't remember what time we had fallen asleep or late into the night we stayed past, but I knew that even if I'd known, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I was with him.

And I awoke early the next morning, and I wasn't sure what woke me. I just felt the sudden need to get up.

The moment I sat up though, I suddenly felt a twinge of panic and dread. I quickly looked to the bed again, my heart throbbing at even the smallest thought of him being gone again.

But he was still there.

I relaxed in relief, but only for a moment. I found myself transfixed on his sleeping figure.

His face, gentle and peaceful with sleep, was bathed in the orange, early morning sunlight. His hair gleamed in the light as well. It was almost comical to see such a strong-looking ex-villain sleeping on my fluffy pink comforter. I smiled to myself and reached a hand toward him to smooth the hair out of his face. Feather light, so that I wouldn't wake him up.

Something about this morning was just incredible.

The moment I was awake, I felt completely different. Everything was clearer. The sunlight that pierced through the window was brighter. Some breed of bird chirped on the other side of my closed window, and it sounded clearer than it normally would have.

It felt like I had gone somewhere for a long time. I felt that strange, kind of familiar sense of things, but it still felt a bit alien.

I got up from the bed and walked to the window, opening it as quietly as I could. A cool breeze blew past my face, and I sighed. The magenta-orange sunrise greeted my eyes, and I squinted at first. But then I watched it in peaceful wonder.

Even though things felt different, they felt right. Like things were how they were supposed to be.

And even though I knew things between Steven and I would never be the same again, I knew one day, I'd somehow be able to accept it.

A warmness rose inside of me, and I wanted to grasp it and hold it inside of me forever. I wanted it to last.

I wanted everything to last for as long as they were able.

But most of all, I needed to know what was going to happen. Because I knew that things couldn't stay the exact same, absolutely perfect way they were now.

But even if they changed, these days would be with me.

I would cherish them in my healing heart and keep them with me until my final days ran dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

" _Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life."_

_-Richard Bach_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! All finished putting this one up on this account! For those of you reading it for the first time, I hope you enjoyed it. Please don't forget to leave a kudos or a comment, it would be very much appreciated! Thanks for reading.


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